The Things We Left Unsaid
by Shaeydyrllah
Summary: In which The Master wakes up in Powell Estate as a young Rose Tyler and decides to once again use the Chameleon Arch. Series 1-2 The Master is Fobwatched, series 3-4 The Master generally causes chaos and falls in love with her sworn enemy. "I would trade eternity for a single kiss from you, though it would surely damn me." The Doctor whispered softly.
1. A Girl, How Inappropriate

It's raining. That's the first thing that the Master notices, as he stirs groggily. Sleepily he wipes the moisture from his face with a careless flick of his hand. _Where am I?_ Eyes now snapping open, it registers that it is night time; the stars are dimmed by the heavy fog rolling past. _Stupid apes, they don't need me to kill them. They're already poisoning their own planet._ His time responses kick in sluggishly, his concentration fights the relentless pounding of The Drums, connections snap into place linking him to this timeline he finds himself in. _Late20_ _th_ _Century London, it could be worse._ His back aches dully from lying on the hard pavement, he assesses his surroundings critically, the dingy Estate flats surrounding him were lit by garish orange street lamps.

 _The question is, how did I get here?_

The last thing he could recall was dying. He smirked slightly at the memory of the utter devastation across the Doctor's face as _he_ had begged him to live. As if he would ever willingly be kept in that fool's TARDIS like the strays he kept collecting and losing. _Was it really necessary for him to sob and spit all over my face like that?_ He never knew that dying could be so satisfying.

His fingers idly tapped against his leg, _da da day dum…da da day dum…_

Well, he couldn't stand here all day on a street corner. He frowned as he took in the sight of a parked car, it was awfully large. Snickering softly, _humans and their competitive technologies._ If he was correct, which of course he always was, this was a number of years before his election, over a decade.

Casting his mind back he could remember the contingency plans he had in place, this surely couldn't have been the result of his resurrection ritual, where were his followers? If he had been resurrected like he'd planned then he wouldn't have been left out in the streets like common vermin. Glancing at his hands he noticed his ring missing. If he hadn't been so occupied by his alarming relocation and sudden return to life, perhaps he might have pondered on why his hands had seemed so much smaller. There was a welling, sick feeling of dread; _surely this can't have anything to do with the Doctor, he saw me die for Rassilon's sake!_

And now he was stranded on Earth of all places. Frantically searching his pockets he snarled, noticing the absence of his laser screwdriver. Someone was messing with him, they had to be. All that he could find was a pocket watch. A look of distaste crossed his face; a fingernail traced the concentric circles of his name, etched into the metal. All of time and space and all he had was a chameleon arch. _I suppose I've faced worse odds than this._

 _Just after I'd made such a nice little life for myself as well, now I have to start from the beginning._ He contemplated running for office again; maybe he should be less subtle this time and destroy this thrice-damned rock. At the very least he had his telepathy, he could be very _convincing_ when he had to be, human minds were so simplistic, no natural barriers to intrusions, mindless cattle. Of course, the Doctor was never particularly talented with that domain, requiring touch to establish a link, what a feeble Timelord. Then again, he probably justified his lack of using that skill as a desire not to violate the delicate companions with their fragile minds. Perhaps if he had kept sweet little Lucy under control things might be different _. How could the Doctor stand being surrounded by the little beasts all of the time_ , he had felt the need to sanitise himself after touching his little wife. And the Doctor had had three of them, aboard _his_ Valiant, the Freak, the spawn of his servants and his little blonde girlfriend. At least the last of them was mildly impressive, not just anyone could absorb the time vortex and live. The TARDIS' archives were most enlightening.

His musing was cut short by the sound of whistling, a jaunty tune cut through the silent street corner. He stiffened immediately, sneering at the sight of a youngish man dressed in tweed with a bow tie and suspenders. The rain had plastered his brunet hair to his face. The stranger's eyes lit up when he took in the sight of the Master, his pace slowed and he stopped in front of him, curiosity and amusement tinged his expression.

"Hello there, it's a nice night for chess don't you think?"

The Master blinked, thrown at the absurdity of the man's statement.

"You don't think so?" His arms flailed around in long sweeping gestures as he grinned manically.

"I have better things to do than play games." The Master cleared his throat, somewhat alarmed by how high his voice had sounded, rubbing at his neck nervously.

The stranger just chuckled, he was quite tall the Master noted absently. The man ran his fingers through his hair so it stood on end, "Ah well, I'm used to playing games. I suppose you should be getting home, your Mum must be worried."

"Excuse me!" This ape didn't only get dressed in the dark, he was also exceedingly slow.

A large hand patted his head fondly as he shifted his weight from foot to foot as if he couldn't bear standing still in one place. "A little girl like you in a big city at night, anything could happen, you'd best pop off home."

Horror raced down the Master's spine as an icy chill. The stranger wasn't especially tall, nor were the cars. He turned desperately, catching a glimpse of himself in the reflection of a car window. His first thought was that there must be someone behind him; there was no way that the reflection of the tiny blonde girl belonged to him, his head twisting around in vain. He tugged at a damp lock of hair incredulously, he was a child!

How had this happened? He had refused to regenerate, why was he in the form of a young girl. Nothing seemed to be making sense. He leaned forward off the curb, scrutinising his, _or should I say her,_ appearance more closely, there was something almost familiar about those set of features, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

 _Oh, I just had to be female…and blonde too._ He screwed up his face and stuck his tongue out childishly at his reflection. It was almost unheard of to regenerate into such a young form, there had to be more to it.

"My, my we are vain aren't we?" The stranger murmured from behind. He Master jumped back from the car, watching him warily. He may be a Timelord but this human was physically larger, he could easily overpower him.

"Piss off." He retorted. Not particularly witty but he was quite distracted.

The stranger's smile turned condescending, not in the least offended as he fiddled with his maroon bow tie. "Such foul language from one so young." He seemed to be circling him; his head tilted with an intent look in his eyes. "Come to think of it I think I recognise you, you're Jackie Tyler's little girl, right?"

Jackie Tyler. The Master racked his frankly glorious mind, where had he heard that name before?

 _Oh. No…it couldn't be._

He had conducted a thorough background check of all of the Doctor's companions, the Freak's crew had been lead a merry dance away from London, he had kept the Jones Girl's family…but then there was Rose Tyler. The girl without friends or family, all reported dead at the Battle of Canary Wharf, herself included, there was no one to use as leverage against her. Yet she had been the one to undermine his plans, had rescued the Doctor. The one who had caused the Doctor's eyes to fill with sickening emotion. There was no way he could possibly be her.

"Rose…Tyler…" he tested the name on his tongue, her tongue, this new tongue. The tongue to which this saccharine voice belonged. The first thing that came to mind was possession but he dismissed it just as quickly, there was no remaining presence, nothing fighting back. Pressing a hand to his chest, he was relieved to feel the double thump of his hearts. _Definitely my body then._

"That's right!" The stranger responded brightly, "Jackie Tyler, she must be worried sick about you, I'll walk you home shall I?"

The ape was beginning to grate on his nerves. Looking directly into unblinking verdant eyes, he fought past the drums connecting the activity in his highly developed pre-frontal cortex into the mind of the oblivious stranger. "You want to walk away and forget about meeting me."

The stranger frowned, "That's not very nice, I'm only trying to help."

Scowling he tried again with no success, leaving a bemused human staring at him oddly. _Of course, not only do I have the body of a child, I have the mental abilities of one too._ He felt distinctly uneasy as he began to realise just how helpless he was in this form, all of his age and intelligence was moot, no one would take a child seriously, there wasn't even any way to compel them telepathically.

Exasperated, the Master followed the stranger to the front door of a set of flats, he had babbled continuously as he led her down the street. He had refused point blank to hold this man's hand when he had offered.

"There we are, the residence of Jackie and Rose Tyler." He pressed the button of the correct flat and hopped off the front step, giving an exaggerated bow. "Until next time."

For the first time, the Master began to wonder if there was something more to him than just an oblivious ape, what if he was one of the Doctor's friends, he did act overly familiar with him. Although chances were slim that any associate of the Doctor would desire to interact with him in a positive manner.

"Who are you?" he asked with suspicion, and a touch of dismay at how unintimidating he now sounded.

The stranger had already begun to walk away, his whistling starting up once again. "Just a friend…good luck Rose Tyler."

A somewhat hysterical woman began to screech through the intercom, high pitched versions of his new designation were yelled for the entire dead street to hear.

The Master lay in his bed scowling angrily at the ceiling. Jackie Tyler had completely refused to listen to any of his excuses, had fed him something she referred to as 'Shepherd's Pie' he wondered about what poor person she had massacred to create that atrocity on his plate. Sneaking out of bed he found the door was locked. _Damn it all, who knew how insane female humans were as a species._ The woman had been overly touchy-feely with him in ascertaining his wellbeing, flustered about 'poor Rosie' catching a cold. _How could humans live like this?_ Back on Gallifrey mother's were respectfully detached and wouldn't be seen dead coddling a child to such a disgusting extent.

Such tiny hands, such a frail body. Who would guess the pure genius such a form could house. The Master attempted to focus on the timeline of 'Rose Tyler' before being forcefully thrown from his meditative state by an unknown power. Something was keeping him from accessing this girl's timelines, his own timeline. He was facing his future blindly. He was reluctant to wait until his mental abilities developed enough for him to truly make an impact on this world, he had nothing here. The prospect of _waiting,_ of _growing up_ was entirely unappealing. Yet he knew if he could wait long enough he would run into the Doctor, just as Rose Tyler must have before him.

It was then that the Master was struck by a stroke of genius. He would become Rose Tyler. Actually become her.

He could remember how attached the two of them were on The Valiant. He would make the Doctor care about him, this fragile pink and yellow little body…and then he would rip his heart out.

He didn't like his chances of fooling the Doctor of his innocence for an extended period of time. Surely his patience would run thin putting up with his excessive antics. _No, the Rose Tyler the Doctor meets has to genuinely like him. Not even I could stomach that for so long._ He began to thumb the chameleon arch in his pocket. _Nor do I like the chances of using this, the last time I became human I stayed human for a very long time, Professor Yana was old and weak, I don't want to be stuck as the Doctor's human companion indefinitely, just long enough that my betrayal would break him._

There was no guarantee if he used the chameleon arch that he would even cross paths with the Doctor. He was making a lot of assumptions that his life would line up with the experiences of Rose Tyler. The TARDIS had a lot of information about her, records dating back to 2005 when she joined the Timelord. The Master had to assume that somehow the Rose Tyler he had met in the future was an iteration of himself; it was the only explanation for possessing the same body as her. Albeit a much younger body. In which case it meant that he himself had sabotaged The Valiant as Rose Tyler. _No doubt, I must have been stuck as a human._

It was a difficult decision to make. He could wait out the Doctor with the risk of being found out or become a human with the risk of staying a stinking ape until death and interfering in his own past. Whatever he decided Rose Tyler would unwillingly become his future in some capacity.

 _But it would be worth the risk. He feels it too, the loneliness. What if I were to take away his happiness, his precious girlfriend. I have the right, it is my body, after all, I have the right to be this 'Rose Tyler.' Let him feel betrayal, just as I have been betrayed by him. The Doctor could have his Rose Tyler, but I will use that to destroy him._

The Master opened the Fob watch; he had made adjustments to it before he had created the fiction of Professor Yana. Additional equipment to make himself human was too cumbersome; he had been fleeing for his life, fleeing from The Time War. With his considerable intellect, he had managed to compact all of the necessary equipment to create 'Rose Tyler' within the watch itself. All he had to do was touch the clock face and mentally construct his idea of 'Rose Tyler' and the detachable probe would allow him to exchange his essence into the timepiece. There were other adjustments he'd made to the perception filter which had unfortunately been damaged during his time as Professor Yana. The dial on the side of the watch allowed him to set a time when the perception filter would fall and his human self would open the watch. There was always the risk that his human self could lose it or refrain from opening it even without the filter. He decided to set the watch for the date of his twenty-first birthday.

There was one last thing bothering him. Why did Jackie Tyler recognise him as her child? He had needed to implement extensive work to establish Harold Saxon as a real person. This ape had clearly not given birth to him, a great Timelord of Gallifrey and she was deluded that this regeneration of his was her daughter. Perhaps he was caught in some Transdimensional anomaly, replacing the space that Rose Tyler fit on the space-time continuum. Perhaps Rose Tyler was dead and his regenerated form just happened to look astonishingly similar to her. Or maybe…he was sincerely hoping he was wrong here…maybe he regenerated into Rose Tyler and someone else was creating a paper trail of memories for him, establishing his existence on Earth. _What reason would anyone have to do that?_

The Master had to battle down the waves of disgust that threatened to engulf him. The thought of once again being trapped in the flesh and insipid mind of an ape was repulsive. _The sacrifices I make for you Doctor, he thought wryly._ In the end, it would be worth it, if he followed the timeline along he would surely see his death on The Valiant and work out how he came to be on Earth in the body of a child; and best of all he would be able to break the Doctor.

 _I wonder how the Doctor would react if sweet little Rose Tyler burnt his favourite planet and murdered his companions._ The drums echoed hungrily in his mind, egging him on, _da da day dum…_

With that comforting thought in mind, the Master attached the probe to his left temple, linking it to the watch. With the lingering flash of gold and muffled cry of pain, he was the Master no more.


	2. Rose: A Bit Familiar

Rose sighed. Why was it always her that had to run around and do jobs for everyone else? She glanced ruefully down at the envelope of lottery money as she made her way to the store basement. _I should never have quite College to hang out with a tosser like Jimmy Stone._ "Wilson." She called out half-heartedly. When there was no response Rose frowned slightly. "Wilson, I have the lottery money." _Jeez, do I have to do everything._ She marched forward angrily, hammering on his office door. "Wilson, are you there?" She flicked her phone open, she had about two minutes before Henrick's closed.

Rose started at the clattering noise further down the corridor. The lights flickered, filling her with apprehension. The door slammed loudly behind her. Attempting to wrench it open she cursed when it wouldn't give. "Seriously Wilson, this isn't funny." _Oh yey, its let's pick on the new girl day._ A shuffling sound snapped her out of her cursing, her eyes widened at the sight of a shop dummy in a checked shirt, stiffly shambling towards her. "Ha ha, very funny," She called out into the darkened corridor sarcastically, "If you would be so kind to grow up, I'd be real grateful." The closer the dummy came the more Rose scooted back, this was beyond a joke now. More dummies stirred from their respective places, propped up against the wall. "Derek, is that you? Why do you have to be such an ass!" This was exactly the kind of thing her sexist boss would find funny. The most disturbing thing about them was the expressionless plastic faces, there was something mindless yet malevolent about them.

She shut her eyes as they closed in on her, pulling her arms in front of her face. Suddenly there was a hand grasping her own, she yelped trying to pull it back, only to be dragged away.

"Run." A rough Northern voice urged her. Now she was clinging on for dear life while a stranger clad in a battered leather jacket pulled her towards the lift. She could only stare in bemused horror as the man yanked the arm of the dummy keeping the lift from fully closing. "You pulled his arm off." She murmured in shock.

"Yep. Plastic." He waved it at her, a manic grin spread across his face.

 _Who was he? What was he doing here? There's something about him…_

"Very clever. Nice Trick." She smiled shakily. "Who did this then, was it students?"

He frowned, clear blue eyes scrutinizing her, "Why would it be students?"

She shrugged, "Who else does something dumb like this, students are always playing tricks on people, it must have taken some organisation to set up…" She trailed off uncertainly.

An amused smile tugged at the side of his mouth, "That makes sense, well done." Her eyes narrowed, unsure if he was being condescending.

"They're not students. " He continued solemnly, his jokey demeanour changing suddenly.

"Well whoever did it, Wilson's gonna have a fit when he sees the mess back there."

He tilted his head consideringly, glancing back at the lift they had just exited. "Who's Wilson."

"The Chief electrician."

A pitying look crossed his face, "Well, Wilson's dead."

Shock filled her, things like that didn't happen. Not to her. Her life was completely ordinary, mundane. Moving shop dummies and dead electricians, that was something she heard about on the news, not something that would happen to her.

"You're lying."

"What would I do that for?" She had forgotten she was still holding his hand as he practically shoved her out of the door. He fiddled with a small device he produced from his pocket. He tossed the plastic arm to her.

"Who are you? Why is this happening?" A pleading note entered her voice.

The man rolled his eyes, "They're made of plastic. Living plastic creatures." He repeated. "They're being controlled by a relay device in the roof" Gesturing above, "which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this." He waved the compact device, "So, I'm going to go up there and blow them up, and I might well die in the process, but don't worry about me. No, you go home. Go on. Go and have your lovely beans on toast. Don't tell anyone about this, because if you do, you'll get them killed." With that, he slammed the door shut.

 _Charming._

The door swung open again sharply. "I'm the Doctor, by the way. What's your name?"

 _The Doctor._ Her mind whispered, she shuddered. _Not now, not now._ For the first time, she assessed him more thoroughly. His appearance was rather average, his cropped hair with exposed ears which stuck out a bit too noticeably. Yet that name _the Doctor._ Yes, she knew that name, it was so very familiar.

"Rose." She finally remembered how to speak.

He smiled brightly, "Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life"

It was difficult to fall asleep. Her mind was whirling a mile a minute. It was difficult to feel sorry for losing her job, she was bored to death there anyway. She winced, someone had actually died there. Who was the Doctor? What were those dummies doing there? Would they have actually killed her?

She crept out of bed silently, making towards her dresser. She pulled out a worn pink journal with faded hearts embellishing it and made her way back to bed. The street light shone dimly through her blind, illuminating her room just enough. Her thumb gently stroked the spine of the journal before flicking to the first page. A hazy illustration of a blue police box took up the page, the crayon medium reflected the age she was when she drew it. Turning the pages absentmindedly she went past a bronze robot in the shape of a pepper pot and an illustration of a meadow stained crimson, silvery trees where tinged with ash. One of her earlier therapists had recommended recording her dreams in a diary in order to make sense of them.

The night she woke up screaming about being burnt alive marked her mother's insistence that she got professional help. Only eight years old, she had been reassured that night terrors were not so uncommon and yet the fantastical quality of them she recounted to her therapist appeared to visibly disturb him. The diary did help in a way, being able to quantify and record everything she dreamed of. Then there was that name, _the Doctor._ She swore she knew that name, outside of the ordinary sense of the word.

 _Surely plenty of people must introduce themselves as 'the Doctor' it isn't an uncommon title to hold._ The presence of those _things_ made of plastic, pursuing her, it was like falling into one of her nightmares. She closed her journal with a snap, chiding herself for getting carried away. Eventually, sleep claimed her.

 **He was staring up at the sky, brilliant pinpricks of light filled his vision. He could ignore the damp grass sticking to his coat. His head turned, catching the smile that played across his friend's face. He shuffled closer to him.**

" **I told you you'd enjoy this." The blonde chimed gleefully.**

 **The brunet rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, I suppose you sometimes have good ideas. Mind you if the professors catch us out here we're done for Theta."**

 **The blonde squeezed his hand, "You worry too much; just think, soon we'll be out there, exploring the universe. With you by my side what could go wrong?"**

 **The brunet smiled back, "You have to be able to pass your driving test first, I've seen how awful you are in those simulations."**

 **The blonde pulled back his hand, rolling onto his back. "I resent that. The professors don't have nearly enough creativity. I think being grounded on Gallifrey has drained all of their imagination from them." Seeing his friend's amused look he sighed, "I suppose you can drive sometimes."**

" **How generous." He cast his eyes back up to the sky, there was so much hope, so much anticipation. Soon their lives would truly begin. The stars were almost within reach. Not even the dull thrumming in the back of his head could taint this.**

 **The blonde rested his chin on the brunet's chest. "I'll take you anywhere in the universe Koschei, just you wait."**

She woke with a gasp, the vivid colours and warm feelings left a lingering impression as the details of the dream slowly slipped away. There was nothing truly distinctive but there was a quality to the dream that was familiar, it was like her _other dreams._ It had been some time since she had had one of _those dreams_ ; she'd thought they'd stopped after visiting her last therapist. Or maybe she was just being paranoid.

She shambled around the flat sluggishly, fending off her mother's attempts to convince her to seek compensation. She would be seeing Mickey again today. Lovely normal, safe Mickey. There wasn't a dangerous bone in his body, the opposite of her last boyfriend. Even if he was a bit boring and tended to drone on about football, he loved her. Rose was unable to deny that she enjoyed this, the feeling of someone seeing her as desirable, loving her. If her heart didn't flutter and pound in return at the sight of Mickey she could just remind herself that true love doesn't exist, fictionalised romance could only give you unrealistic expectations. She had Mickey and she was happy, maybe that was love.

Rose was pulled out of her musing by an odd rattling noise coming from the kitchen. With a flicker of annoyance, she got up from the sofa, making her way to the door. "I thought you said, you'd nailed the cat flap shut!" She called out behind her. Her mother's indistinct reply was unheard as she examined the nails resting on the doormat underneath. _How…?_

She bent down, poking at the flap cautiously. Only to be greeted by the furrowed brow of the man who blew up her workplace. Quickly unlocking the door she glared at the man suspiciously, _is he following me?_

"What are you doing here?" He queried, he glanced above her head into the flat, eyes darting about.

"I live here." She replied tonelessly.

"Well, what do you do that for?"

"Oh I dunno, maybe I just do. I wouldn't even be here stuck at home if it wasn't for a certain someone who blew up my job." Her response was accusing. She got the impression he wasn't really paying attention to her, he was busy fiddling with a small silver tube, a low buzzing sound was issued as a blue light was shone in her face.

"Must have got the wrong signal." He mutters, "Not plastic are you?" He rapped his hand on her head, "No, boneheaded. Bye then." Her hand stretched out of its own accord, latching onto his jacket.

"Get in here." She didn't know who this Doctor was but she wanted answers now. He looked like he was going to refuse before being silenced with an icy glare. She poked her head into her mum's room. "He's here about last night as part of the inquiry." She jerked her head in his direction.

Her mother fiddled with the belt of her dressing gown catching the eye of the Doctor. "She deserves compensation."

The Doctor raised his hands in a placating gesture, "Oh, we're talking millions."

Their conversation was indistinct as Rose made her way into the living room, the Doctor had a slightly disturbed look on his face as he glanced back anxiously towards her mum's bedroom. She felt a tinge of embarrassment at the state of the flat; clothes were sprawled over the furniture carelessly. "Do you fancy a coffee?"

He shrugged, "Might as well. Just milk for me, thanks."

Rose mechanically went through the motions of preparing the drink, barely paying attention when water sloshed out of the kettle onto the worktop. "Maybe we should go to the police, whatever they were up to in the shop can't have been good, even if it was just a prank that got out of hand." She continued to babble, "It would help if I knew what I was supposed to tell them…" She glanced in the direction of the living room. _Is he even paying attention to me?_

"What's that then? You got a cat?" He called out abruptly.

 _Typical._

She marched into the room looking irritated; cards now littered the room hazardously. Brown eyes widened in shock as she took in the sight of her reluctant houseguest holding a plastic arm to his throat. _I swear I told Mickey to get rid of that when he visited me last night._

"Would you stop messing about, they found a body back at Henricks and all you can do is play about with that plastic arm." Gesturing rudely. The arm he had been struggling in vain to remove finally released him, changing direction mid-air to latch onto Rose. Spluttering in surprise she let out a muffled plea for help. The Doctor grasped the arm, attempting to dislodge it with brute strength, sending them spiralling into the coffee table. The Doctor got up with a grunt jabbing his sonic screwdriver into it. Rose was relieved to be released, shuffling as far away from it as possible.

"It's all right, I've stopped it. There you go, you see? Armless." He waved it manically.

"You don't say." Eying it dubiously, before smacking him in the head with it. With a yelp the Doctor got up to flee the flat; Rose darted after him.

"Where do you think you're going," she called after him as she attempted to catch up down the winding staircase.

"Some of us have better things to do than sit around indoors all day." He retorted

"Oh no you don't," She grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him to face her, now outside of the flat. "What were those things? Why were they after me?"

He rolled his eyes, "Oh, suddenly the entire world revolves around you. You were just an accident. You got in the way, that's all." Purposely ignoring the first question.

"Got in the way of what."

"Me," he responded cheerfully.

"Oh, so it's you the universe revolves around then." Releasing him to place her hands on her hips.

"Yep."

He started to walk away again and Rose trailed after him silently, debating whether or not to ask him what was on her mind. "You said you're called the Doctor…"

He nodded, "That's right, hello."

" _The Doctor_ , like it's a name or a title…" She trailed off, "A promise."

He stopped at a complete standstill, analysing her critically, "What makes you say that?"

She shrugged, uncomfortable from the scrutiny, "Dunno, just that way it seems."

He made a thoughtful humming noise, "I'm just the Doctor, and you Rose Tyler should go home, a lot safer back there."

She drew closer, "Living plastic you said, how can plastic be living?"

"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut off the signal, dead."

Her brow furrowed, "You're saying that plastic can be controlled by radio waves."

"Nope. Thought control." He corrected.

There was something so utterly certain about his responses, she tried to detect any hint of deception in his features but found none. _He really believes what he's saying._ And yet another part of her whispered darkly, _is anything he's saying seem more unbelievable than what you've dreamed of…the Doctor…and the aliens…_ She scolded herself lightly, _it isn't alien, none of that is real, it's a story I made up in my head._

"What is this 'thing' that's controlling it?"

He scratched his head, eyes roving around the park, searching for something. "Long story."

"What could they possibly accomplish controlling dummies, it's not like they can just take over Britain's shops."

He chuckled, "It's not a price war." Before his expression took on a solemn quality, "They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you." Pausing, "Do you believe me?"

Clear blue eyes were alight with such intensity, she found herself caught in his gaze before blinking, "They-I-I don't know."

His lip twitched, "That's not a no."

A part of her so desperately wanted to believe him, yet she was scared.

"Who are you Doctor?" A request mixed with a plea. He seemed to recognise the desperation in her request, curiosity colouring his face. Gently he took her hand in his, an electric jolt seemed to pass from him to her from the contact.

"Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still." His thumb stroked the back of her hand absentmindedly as his eyes became almost vacant, seeing something she couldn't. "I can feel it. The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it" his tone of voice growing louder and more powerful. A strange sensation swept through her, for a second there was simply more to the universe, everything made sense; she could see how he saw the universe in all of its complexity and wonder. "We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go…" His hand released, shocking her out of a dazed state. "That's who I am. Now, forget me, Rose Tyler. Go home. "

Rose could only watch him leave, too stunned by the absence of _that sensation_ ; everything was somehow dimmer now, in contrast, lacking a certain quality she couldn't recall. It was then that Rose Tyler made a decision. She would find this Doctor again, she would get answers to her questions.

Rose poked at her drink absentmindedly. Thoughts of the things Clive had told her were at the forefront of her mind. How could anyone live for that long? It didn't seem possible that the Doctor could be the same man in all of those pictures. Her eyes flickered up taking in Mickey's oddly fixed grin. _Maybe Mickey was right, maybe I should let it all go. This Doctor could just be a complete nutter._

"So, where did you meet this Doctor?" Mickey inquired suddenly, a drastic change from his rambling about food.

"It doesn't matter, it isn't likely I'll run into him again anyway."

"Because I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right? Was he something to do with that?" He continued as if she hadn't even said anything.

Roses eyes narrowed, "I don't want to talk about it Mickey, I've had a long day. I just want to forget about it."

Mickey's hand grasped hers, they were cold and slippery, his grip unyielding. Nothing like the warm grasp of the Doctor's. "But you can trust me, sweetheart. Babe, sugar, babe, sugar. You can tell me anything. Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning, and I can help you, Rose. Because that's all I really want to do, sweetheart, babe, babe, sugar, sweetheart. "

"What's wrong with you," She tried to tug her hands out from underneath his, pinning them to the table.

"Your champagne." A voice called from behind.

"We didn't order any champagne. Where's the Doctor? "Mickey insisted.

"Madam, your champagne."

She turned, filled with frustration. "Go away, can't you see we're-." She stopped. It was the Doctor, "Oh." Mickey followed her gaze, releasing her hands, a menacing gleam in his eyes.

"Gotcha." He called triumphantly.

The Doctor shook the champagne bottle vigorously, "Don't mind me. I'm just toasting the happy couple. On the house!" The cork popped off and struck Mickey in the forehead, it was sucked into the flesh and spat back out with a grin. Rose could only stare at her boyfriend in mute horror. The Plastic Mickey's hand became a chopper, swinging wildly he smashed through the table, advancing angrily. Rose managed to pull the fire alarm as she edged away from the rampant destruction. The Doctor had him in a headlock, applying pressure to his neck the head finally gave and became detached.

After shooing the rest of the customers out Rose took off after the Doctor through the kitchens towards the back exit. She made straight for the padlocked gate, tugging insistently on the chains before flashing the Doctor a desperate look, "Can't you use your sonic screwdriver on it?"

Alarm crossed his face, "How did you know it was called that?"

A sharp pain flashed through her skull. "Is now really the time?" She hissed, flinching at the dull thud of someone striking the door she had closed behind them.

The Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the door, "Come on." he said in a gentle voice, "I know a place we can hide."

She stopped in front of a blue wooden police box. Her heart stopped in her chest. _No no no no no…this isn't real, it can't be real. How can this be here?_ The Doctor raised an eyebrow at the terrified look on the girl's face. "Are you coming?"

She nodded mutely, stepping into the big blue box. Her mind flashed back to the drawing in her journal, tangible proof that she wasn't going insane. Her footsteps faltered as her eyes panned the room, the walls stretched out beyond the dimensions it appeared to have from the outside. The central cylinder cast a ghostly green light across a circular console. Above all of this, there was a soft sound weaving through the back of her mind, a melody which grew quieter whenever she attempted to analyse it. There was a deep exhaling sound echoing past the smooth archways.

Without her consent her hand reached out to stroke one of the archways, a warm hum reverberated through her mind in response, stunning her.

Eventually, she looked up at the Doctor. His expression was a cross between amusement and curiosity, his head tilted to the side as if he was having difficulty figuring her out. "Well…" he prompted.

"She's alive." Rose breathed in wonder.

Perplexed, the Doctored muttered, "That's a new one."

Rose whipped her head around battling the urge to leave and check the outside of the ship or to stay inside away from the nutty plastic replica of her boyfriend. She concentrated on the warm feeling trickling through her mind, like soothing bath water. _Definitely alive, the ship…I can feel her._

"How do you know she's alive," He paused, "Scratch that, how do you know she's a she?"

Rose noticed that there was wariness in the way he regarded her, "Aren't ships usually called 'she,' I assume she is a ship. As for being alive, can't you feel her?"

She was met with amazement and a low laugh, "Of course I know she's alive. She's called the TARDIS, that's Time and Relative Dimension in Space." He stepped closer buzzing his screwdriver in a circular motion around her head. He looked thoughtful for a moment taking in the readings. "Hmm, that's odd"

"What's odd?"

"It's not important, slight abnormality."

 _I don't think I like the sound of that._

"So…questions?" He spun around from tweaking at the console. Rose's eyes widened as she noticed he was wiring in Mickey's plastic head.

"Right…questions, I guess it goes without saying that this is alien." There was no way that humans could create something as dazzling as this, a functioning organic ship. Her fingers were still lightly rubbing one of the twisted arches.

"Yes."

"Are you alien?" She hesitated.

His eyes darkened, "Yeah, is that alright?"

"Yes." She responded without even thinking. Having grown up on various sci-fi programmes as a child she wasn't eager to dismiss the possibility of aliens, to begin with. There was something so incredible about seeing tangible evidence in person. _The Doctor in his TARDIS, familiar words, familiar feelings._ her vision became hazy for a second, for a moment she could smell rust scented grass, she could taste sun heavy air. _TARDIS TARDIS TARDIS TARDIS._ The words echoed in her head, she winced as the pounding started again _da da day dum_ , the dreams always made it worse. Her mum usually dismissed it as a bad migraine.

A hand rested on her shoulder jolting her out of her thoughts.

"Are you alright?" She nodded. "Ah, culture shock, it happens to the best of us."

She felt embarrassed by his knowing gaze, _except he doesn't know, he doesn't know about my dreams, he doesn't know what I'm thinking._ She averted eye contact, looking back at the plastic head. "Is Mickey dead?"

He followed her gaze to the console, "Oh, I didn't think of that."

She felt anger rise in her. "You pulled off a copy of my boyfriend's head and didn't spare a thought to whether he's dead or not?"

"Well, it's only just occurred to you now."

"I've been a bit preoccupied." She retorted.

"So have I!" He glared, "I don't have time to be worrying about every ape blundering about called Rickey."

"His name's Mickey." She pointed at the console, "And now you're just going to let him melt."

Panic stole across his face, "Melt?" He raced over and began to press various buttons, slamming his fist into the side of the ship. "No, no, no, no, no." The ship shuddered, issuing a wheezing sound before resting back to a standstill.

Rose followed after the Doctor as he took off outside of the front door. In truth she felt a bit guilty that she had forgotten about Mickey too, it was just easier being angry at the Doctor for the same thing. She blinked in shock as she realised she was now stood near the Thames, miles away from the restaurant.

"How did you do that?" She zipped her hoodie up, shivering in the cold air. "Did we fly?"

"Disappears there and reappears here. You wouldn't understand" He still sounded a bit miffed.

She glanced back at the TARDIS. It was so unassuming, a simple blue box housing one of the greatest secrets in the universe. "Time Vortex." She mumbled. She didn't notice that the Doctor was frowning at her as she stared off into the distance.

"You're a funny human." He stated seriously.

"Yeah well you're an alien from God knows where, with a Northern accent."

"Oi, lots of planets have a North." He replied, offended.

She smiled at him, "And all of these planets full of diverse species and dialects contain aliens with Northern accents. What about your spaceship, why does she look like a police box?"

"It's a disguise." He announced proudly. "A telephone box from the 1950s"

"Funny sort of disguise." She muttered.

The Doctor was twisting his head around, searching for something, only half paying attention to her.

"What's this living plastic got against us?"

"Nothing. It loves you. You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air, perfect." He gestured to the smoke pouring out of a nearby chimney. "Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. Its food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth, dinner!" He announced.

Aliens were taking over her planet, her boring little planet where the greatest thing she had to worry about was getting a job. "How do we stop it?"

The Doctor pulled a small vial out of his pocket, full of a brilliant blue liquid. "Anti-plastic."

She repeated the name after him. _He just so happens to possess whatever we need to kill this thing._

"But first." He continued, "I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

"What are we looking for?"

"The transmitter. The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal. A big, round circular transmitter, slap bang in the middle of London." He drew a circle with his finger. "A huge circular metal structure like a dish, like a wheel. Radial. Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible."

Rose stared at the London Eye, behind the Doctor's back. _Does he really not know?_

He caught onto her amused expression. "What?"

She tilted her head forwards.

"What is it? What?"

She sighed. He followed her line of sight to the London Eye. A smile lit up his face. "Oh, fantastic!"

At long last, they found a large chamber, hidden beneath a man tunnel near the south bank of Westminster Bridge. Rose clung to the bars of the ladder determinedly; her palms were sweating and her heart thumping wildly. There were a few flights of stairs before they were confronted with an enormous molten vat of plastic, twisting and bubbling away.

"The Nestene Consciousness. That's it, inside the vat. A living plastic creature." There was a look of awe on his face.

There was really no point getting sentimental about it. "Well, then. Tip in your anti-plastic and let's go."

The Doctor appeared slightly horrified, shadows crossed his face. "I'm not here to kill it. I've got to give it a chance. You humans are all the same.

"I didn't see you reasoning with plastic Mickey when you ripped his head off. What about blowing up all those dummies." She responded defensively.

He flinched, "This is different, this is the source. If I can resolve things peacefully…"

"You called them _living_ plastic, weren't those dummies alive too?"

He ignored her and made his way further down the steps towards the Nestene Consciousness. " I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation."

There was a slight pressure building up in her head, a low buzzing like static as she watched the vat flex. Her interest was torn away when she noticed Mickey. Relief flooded her chest. Safe, normal Mickey was alive.

"Mickey!" She hissed his name, conscious that the alien plastic might hear her. "Are you okay?"

He was shivering in a ball, peering up at her fearfully, "That thing down there, the liquid. Rose, it's alive. It keeps making these noises!"

She tuned out the Doctor as she made her way over to her petrified boyfriend, hugging him tightly. "It's going to be okay Micks." She jumped when the Doctor began to yell, peeking from above the railings she could see that a pair of dummies had seized him. The blue vial had been removed from his leather jacket by force. A panel drew back exposing the TARDIS.

"What's happening?" She called out.

"It's the TARDIS! The Nestene's identified its superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Rose! Just leg it now!" He begged her, misery painted across his face.

She could only stand there, watching him struggle. She was frozen to the spot. _What am I suppose to do?_ The vat began to churn more violently, the buzzing in her head increased to an almost painful extent.

"Rose, please get out. I shouldn't have dragged you here. Please just run!"

Mickey was clinging to her side, his face buried in her chest. "We're going to die." He whimpered.

The Autons kept pushing against the Doctor, attempting to throw him into the vat. The Nestene rippled again, this time the pressure in her head gave way. "Time Lord!" It snarled.

Rose shuddered at the sound of the voice, pouring through her head. _I could leave now. Leave him to die._ Her fingers twisted around the metal chain of her pocket watch, her head felt so loud. An odd feeling of resentment flooded through her as she watched the Doctor struggle pitifully. She shook her head, _no I can't, how could I do that?_

She looked around the chamber, spotting a pair of ropes chained to a wall. "No A-levels, no job, no future. Nothing but a boring human life." She whispered to herself. She grabbed a fallen axe, swinging viciously at the rope. "But I tell you what I have got. Jericho Street Junior School under 7s gymnastic team. I've got the bronze!" He voice grew in volume as the rope gave.

She grasped it steadily, drums pounding in her mind along with her heartbeat. She swung out off the platform kicking the Autons, the vial slipped out of its fingers into the vat. The molten gold began to turn blue and curdle. A horrific scream rang through her head before abruptly being cut off, muffled as a wave of vertigo hit her. Her hands began to slide from the rope as she landed into the Doctor's waiting arms.

Her legs were unsteady as he slowly released her. He grinned at her widely, "Now we're in trouble."

She numbly left the TARDIS, her head still felt a bit odd but at least the painful buzzing was gone. _Did that thing really speak in my head?_

She regarded her phone guiltily. _What kind of daughter doesn't think to call her own mother when the end of the world is here?_ Mickey was still clinging to her ignoring the condescending look of the Doctor who remained in the doorway of the TARDIS. Rose's mouth twisted in indecision before putting her phone back in her pocket.

"A fat lot of good you were."

"Nestene Consciousness? Easy." He snaps his fingers.

She rolls her eyes, "You were completely useless, you'd be dead if it wasn't for me." And wasn't that a sinister thought, she'd almost considered leaving him to die.

"Yes, I would." He watched her quietly, weighing something up silently in his mind. "Thank you." His eyes lingered on her before moving back to the interior of his ship. "Right then, I'll be off, unless, er, I don't know, you could come with me." He spoke quickly, rushing the words, "This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe free of charge."

Mickey moaned, tightening his grip on her, "Don't. He's an alien. He's a thing" The last word made her frown.

"He's not invited." Disgust crossed his face. "What do you think? You could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go anywhere."

The way he described a normal life made her insides twist painfully. It was so utterly wrong yet she didn't know of any other way to live. She had a chance to see the stars, to truly live. Maybe if she travelled with him she would understand the cause of her dreams, why she had drawn his TARDIS as a child. Then she recalled that dark feeling from earlier, the instinct to flee, to leave everyone to die. _What if it happens again?_

She looked down, shuffling her feet, "I can't…I've got this thing. And there's my mother and this one." She patted Mickey's head, "Someone has to look after him." The drums in her head pounded angrily at her denial making her head ache. She couldn't just leave the life she had, her safe structured life.

"Okay." He responded with forced nonchalance. His smile was somewhat strained. "See you around."

Rose could feel tears beginning to form in her eyes. _Stupid stupid stupid!_ There was an overwhelming feeling of being choked, trapped. Perhaps it was just due to the tightness of which Mickey was clinging to her. "Come on Mickey, let's go." Her voice broke slightly. She turned away and began to walk away from the deserted alley.

Just then there was a loud rumbling sound and a familiar wheezing. She pushed Mickey off of her and watched the TARDIS reappear, stunned. Hope filled her chest.

The door swung open. The Doctor made eye contact determinedly "By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?"

 _Time, time travel, time and space, Time Lord._ She twined her watch chain around her fingers. _He came back for me._ The thought resounded in her head loudly, waging against disbelief. _He came back._

This thought seemed to override all of her inclination towards duty and responsibility. The Doctor had asked her twice, he wanted her to come with him. She felt positively giddy, spinning around she kissed Mickey on the cheek. "Thanks."

"Thanks for what?" He replied confused.

"Exactly." _Thank you for being so oblivious, so normal, so Mickey. But normal isn't what I want anymore, it isn't enough._

Without looking back she pelted towards the TARDIS. She watched the Doctor's smile slowly grow and took his hand.

 _Goodbye Earth_


	3. The End of the World: Random Messing

Rose stared into the time rotor; the cylinder cast a warm green light on her. She couldn't overcome her awe at how beautiful it was. Slowly her eyes moved to the Doctor, he seemed rather self-satisfied by the wonder she was openly displaying.

"All of time and space at your fingertips and you choose to spend your time in London of all places."

He scratched the back of his ear sheepishly, "Earth's a personal favorite, I spent a few years there. Not exactly by choice at the time." He smiled at the memory, "Well then, where do you want to go?"

"I don't exactly have a large frame of reference, I bet you know hundreds of planets."

"Hmm, I think we'll work our way up to planets. Besides, there's tones you don't know about your own history. How does the future sound?"

"Fine by me." She grinned.

The Doctor sprinted to the other side of the console, pulling down two levers and twisting a dial. "The only question is, how far?"

"How far are you willing to go?" She challenged.

"Oh, just you wait Rose Tyler."

 _It's different to conceptualise the future, sure sci-fi programmes try their best but there's always the thought that none of us are going to be around to see the distant future, and now I'm going to see it._ It made her almost feel unworthy, a silly little shop girl with no future gets to see the universe when there were bigger better people than her that the Doctor could be showing this too. A surge of disdain filled her, smothering her self-depreciation, _we're better than those stupid ap-_

"Are you coming then? Don't tell me you have cold feet already."

Rose blinked slightly confused, she couldn't quite recall what she'd been thinking about. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive." He commented fondly. "This is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty-six. Five billion years in your future and this is the day," He glanced down at his watch, "Hold on." The sun flared an angry red, throwing out glowing golden light, "This is the day the Sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."

Rose stared out the massive window in the observation deck, a sickly looking Earth stared back, it was old and grey whilst she was still so very young. It filled her with sadness as if she was saying goodbye to an old friend. She became slightly alarmed at the practically cheerful look on the Doctor's face. Her planet was going to burn and he was just going to stand there and smile; uncontrollable loathing washed through her.

She followed the Doctor down the corridor, ignoring the whine of the intercom. She carefully watched his face for any trace of what he was feeling. She swallowed heavily, "Where exactly are we, some kind of spaceship?"

"It's not really a spaceship, more like an observation deck. The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn." He fiddled with a panel on the wall.

"Why?"

He hooked his thumbs into the loops of his jeans, "For fun." He continued to wander around.

"How long has the planet got left." She bit her lip.

He shrugged before flippantly responding, "About half an hour then it gets roasted."

She nodded slowly, "Right so it's like with those dummy things, you're going to save it."

"Nope." He popped the 'p' "Time's up."

"Aren't there people down there?"

"Nah, you lot have made your way across the stars, there's no one left on ol' Earth." His smile faltered as he noticed her sickly complexion. He opened his mouth as if he was going to ask her something but he was interrupted by someone clearing their throat noisily.

A tall man with brilliant azure skin was glaring at them disapprovingly, golden slit eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Who the hell are you?"

"Is that any way to treat a guest?" The Doctor queried sarcastically.

"You're guests?" He regarded them skeptically.

The Doctor pulled out what looked like a black leather wallet from his jacket pocket and opened it with a flick of the wrist. "The Doctor plus one. I'm the Doctor and this is Rose Tyler. She's my plus one, is that alright?" He waved the wallet vigorously. The blue Steward looked apologetic and quickly mumbled something placating before taking off. The Doctor turned to Rose, showing her a blank piece of paper proudly, "The paper's slightly psychic. It shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time."

"It's a blank piece of paper." She stated.

His forehead creased, "Hang on a mo'" He closed the wallet and concentrated on it hard. He flipped it back open and held it out to her, "How about now?"

Rose shook her head, "I swear you make this stuff up, there's nothing on it."

The Doctor scrutinised her, mentally adding her reaction to his ongoing list of 'Rose Tyler Abnormalities' just beneath her naming his sonic screwdriver correctly. "Funny human."

"Odd Alien," She shot back.

Her eyes traversed the room in amazement, so many different species. The strangest part was that it felt almost comforting, the babble of voices and the stark difference between this and a crowded street in London was evident. She watched a conversation between two fur-clad reptilians and it struck her how small her world was. It was laughable that there were some humans who didn't even believe that aliens exist. _Quite ego-centric of humans to assume they're the only sentient life forms in the universe._

Rose giggled as she saw the Doctor breathe on one of the tree people, she felt uncertain about approaching any of them, still unsure if the Doctor's fake invitation would hold up to scrutiny. When the Steward announced the last human, she could only gape in shock. _This is what becomes of us, nothing but skin on a metal frame. The Doctor painted a much more appealing picture of the legacy of the human race than this._ She looked at the Doctor disapprovingly as he bobbed his head to the sound of Tainted love from the 'I pod' _Maybe that's all we are in the end, just forgotten stories. History is like a game of bloody Chinese Whispers._ The Doctor laughed politely as 'The Last Human' recounted 'humorous' anecdotes from Earth. Rose slowly slipped away from the Doctor to approach the Face of Boe. A huge craggy head with serene eyes, his lips twitched slightly at the sight of her behind his glass tank.

"Hello." She spoke lowly.

" _Hello."_ The word echoed softly in her mind. Rose jumped slightly in surprise. _"There's no need to be alarmed Rose, I'm a friend."_

She cautiously pressed a hand to the cool glass, "I'm sorry but you must be mixing me up with someone else."

" _It would be difficult to forget you, Rosie."_

"How do you know me?"

" _We're old friends, at least we will be."_

The Face of Boe didn't give anything away, there was a sense of fondness which accompanied his telepathic communication. "I'm not sure I'm cut out for this time travel lark, everything is so familiar yet so alien. A part of me loves and hates it, and I don't know which part of me it is." She confided. Her cheeks flushed red, "I really shouldn't be bothering you with all this."

A soft laugh rang through her head, _"There are many hardships ahead. I do have some advice for you though, you can be whoever you want to be, names are not as important as you think. One day you have to choose between who you were and who you want to be."_

"Is being cryptic a predicate of the elderly?"

" _Perhaps, see you soon Rose."_

Rose's mind was pounding heavily, her conversation with the Face of Boe had set her headache off again. The drumming had picked up again, _da da day dum. It never truly goes away, like a low background sound, it's louder now. What decision do I have to make? When?_ She toyed with a metal sphere left on the steps of the observatory. The sun was pulsing heavily, barely contained. And then there was the poor washed out Earth, dying slowly. _Why did the Doctor choose to bring me here?_ She sighed in frustration and flung the ball at one of the whitewashed walls.

"Rose are you in here?" A voice called from the doorway. His face lit up when he saw her, he threw himself down heavily next to her patting her shoulder. "So, what do you think?"

She shrugged his hand off her shoulder. "Sure it's great…just out of all of the places in the universe we could go…why did you choose here?"

The Doctor shifted away from her slightly, tugging on the edge of his jumper he looked away. "Well, the end of the Earth; once in a lifetime opportunity."

"Oh, so you thought taking me on a trip to see my planet burn would be fun." She snapped, "All of those people out there," She gestured behind to the door, "They don't care about the Earth, it's just a bit of entertainment. " Something dark was rising inside of her, something filled with malice, "What about you Doctor, do you enjoy watching planets die?"

The Doctor rose to his feet angrily, "Is that what you think this is about?" His icy blue eyes full of fury, "I-I wanted you to understand."

"What exactly am I supposed to understand? Who are you, Doctor?" She began to feel panic well up in her. _I left my home with barely a second thought to run off with a madman that I know nothing about._

"I'm just the Doctor?" He insisted

"Where are you from my dear _Doctor_?" She spat his name scathingly.

Surprise flashed across his face, "Why does it matter, it's not like you'd know where it is."

"Just tell me who you are." Her breath came out heavily as tears sparkled in her eyes, "Because right now I'm scared."

He scowled down at her, "This is who I am, right here, right now, all right? All that counts is here and now, and this is me."

The platform jerked under their feet causing the Doctor to stumble slightly. "That shouldn't have happened." He muttered to himself. He cast her a judging look, "Are you coming or what?"

The Doctor had run up to the tree lady, _Jabe._ She reminded herself. Talking quickly about gravity pockets and engines. She tuned him out. _I really shouldn't have gotten so angry. I'll apologise to him later,_ she promised herself. She watched sadly as he ran off with his new friend, _even a tree is better company than me._ Rose considered wandering back over to the Face of Boe but caught sight of the ridiculous piece of skin masquerading as the last human. _This should be fun._

Small blue eyes fastened onto her, "You came with that loud man that enjoys the sound of his own voice."

"You're telling me." She muttered.

"And what exactly are you?" Her voice dripped with disdain.

"Oh, I'm human she responded absentmindedly."

Cassandra snorted, Rose wondered briefly how she could even talk without vocal cords, "What kind of human?"

"Just plain human."

"As if." The taut skin attempted to sneer, at least Rose thought she did, she was stretched too tightly to accurately tell. "I am the last pure human, the others mingled. Oh, they call themselves New humans and Proto-humans and Digi-humans, even Humanish, but do you know what I call them?" She paused for dramatic effect, "Mongrels and freaks."

"Right." Rose nodded, "And how many operations did you have to keep yourself pure?"

"Seven hundred and eight. Next week, it's seven hundred and nine. I'm having my blood bleached. Is that why you wanted a word? You could be flatter, Rose. You've got a little bit of a chin poking out. "

Rose's face screwed up in disgust, "What kind of a life is that? You're just a piece of skin. You talked about all those husbands before when you were introduced but do you know what? You can never touch anyone again, you have no arms to hold anyone, no heart left, just lipstick and skin. I would rather die than end up like you."

Cassandra called out for her assistants, "There is certainly no accounting for taste. Remove me from her presence boys, just looking at her makes me feel fat."

 _I can't wait to leave here, nothing is going well today._ Rose made her way back into the corridor, wanting to be as far away from Cassandra as possible. Heavy footsteps sounded behind her, she turned just in time to be smacked in the face by a gun. Everything went black.

"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending. " The intercom chirped.

Rose groaned, her head hurt worse than a night of Vodka shots with her mate Shireen. She could remember being smacked with a gun by a cloaked figure. The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. "Ugh." She uttered. The computer repeated its warning and light began to fill the room from above. A hot white blanket of light began to descend from the ceiling. Rose ran to the door, tugging on it uselessly. "Let me out! Let me out!"

Rose could hear something on the other side of the door, a buzzing sound, and a loud scrape. "Anyone in there?"

The familiar voice filled her with desperate hope, "Doctor, help me!"

"Oh, well. It would be you." He grumbled to himself.

"Open the door!" She shouted back.

"Hold on, I'm trying." He responded agitatedly.

Rose began to crouch down, eager to put as much distance between her and the sun filter as possible.

"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising." A moment later, "Sun filter descending."

"What are you doing?" She shrieked. "Stop messing around."

"The computer's being clever." There was a loud clang on the other side of the door. "I'm sorry Rose, I'm going to try another way."

"Please don't leave me." She cried.

"I'm sorry."

 _He always leaves you. He will always leave you._ Part of her whispered. _Shut up, shut up,_ she snapped back. _I'm not dying in here._

The sun filter kept fluctuating, raising and lowering. She could only hope that it didn't reach her. She reached for the door with trepidation. There was a control panel next to the handle. Rose picked up a piece of scrap metal on the ground and began to unscrew the panel _I can't just sit here._ She pulled the panel off and stared blankly at the purple wires, _this means literally nothing to me_. There was some sort of spherical fixture in the center and pulsing copper tubes attached.

Rose sighed in frustration, _I'm never getting out of here._ She shut her eyes tightly, one hand went to her jean pocket, rubbing her thumb across the pattern of her watch anxiously. Suddenly her mind went blank, as if on autopilot her hands reached for the wires and she began to attach and detach various fixtures. Her thoughts were drowned out by the drumming _da da day dum da da day dum._

"Door opening." The computer announced.

Rose blinked. She was standing in the open doorway holding a thin piece of metal with two pieces of wire twisted around it. _How did I…?_ Her head felt foggy and the drums dimmed somewhat. _I need to find the Doctor._

Rose ran into the main deck, breathing heavily. She looked around desperately for the Doctor. On the ground, there were multiple robed figures crumpled in a heap. The Doctor wasn't the only one missing, Jabe and Cassandra were also absent. The large panes of glass were beginning to crack, jets of light shot through. One struck the Moxx of Balhoon, he screamed in agony as he vapourised on the spot. She ran to the Face of Boe.

"Where is the Doctor?"

" _He went to the engine room with Jabe. Cassandra sabotaged the platform for profit. If you're quick you should be able to catch up."_

She thanked him and took off to find the Doctor.

After much searching, she heard a loud whirring sound, following the noise she came to a long room built like a runway catwalk. Except there were whirring fans of doom attached. She hung around the door watching the two occupants of the room.

The Doctor walked up to the platform, eyes carefully following the fans. He turned back around to Jabe when he heard her whimper of pain. "Jabe, you can't keep hold of that, you'll burn."

"Someone has to do it." She insisted, her arms already shaking. "Stop wasting time, Time Lord." Determinedly he turned back to the fans, timing his movements precisely.

 _Time Lord, Time Lord, Time Lord, Time Lord._ The words rang through her head angrily, demanding to be acknowledged. Rose watched Jabe warily, black smoke began to rise from where her hands met the lever. Self-preservation warred with compassion inside of her. She ran up to Jabe and pulled her hands off the lever, wincing at the blackened state of them. Grabbing hold of it herself, she wrapped her hoodie around her hands, minimizing the heat for only a couple of seconds.

Jabe stared in shock at her, "No, let me do it."

"You'll die." Sweat began to drip from Rose's forehead. "I won't let that happen."

The heat became blistering, agony shot through her hands but she held on. _Let it go, let Jabe burn instead._ Part of her pleaded. _No, I won't let any more people die._ She thought of the Moxx of Balhoon's scream.

All that existed was the pain, Jabe moved slowly in the corner of her eye, the computer's trill was slow and drawn out. Everything was so still. The air seemed thicker, heavier and lethargic. And then the sensation was gone. An insistent tugging on her shoulder and careful prying of her hands signaled the end. Warm arms enveloped her, she was held by the concerned gaze of the Doctor.

"Oh, Rose." He murmured, examining the shiny pink flesh of her palms. He pressed his forehead to hers sighing. "What am I going to do with you?"

Pulling herself out of her pain-induced stupor Rose turned to Jabe, "What about Jabe, she was burned pretty badly."

The kindly tree smiled at her, "I will be fine dear, trees have more effective regenerative powers than humans."

The Doctor kept his arm around her as the exited the engine room, she cast apprehensive looks down at her hands which throbbed.

"It's okay, I've got dermal regenerators in the sickbay, I'll fix you up no problem."

"Thanks, Bones," She joked.

Rose pressed herself closer to the Doctor, drinking in this unusual bout of tactile comfort, she pulled her stinging hands to her sides and docilely followed along after him. Crippling exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her. A part of her felt proud that she'd been brave enough to save Jabe because surely the heat would have killed her where it had only burnt Rose.

When they reached the main deck the Doctor let go of her, pacing the room with nervous energy. "Well, I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them. Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby. " He rushed over to the ostrich egg that Lady Cassandra had so kindly gifted them all with, he smashed it on the ground exposing a small device. "Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed. "He winked at Rose, she gave him a tentative smile back.

" Oh, you should have seen their little alien faces." A familiarly obnoxious voice called out. Cassandra rematerialized in the room, her mouth opened in surprise, "Oh."

"The last human." The Doctor sneered.

"So, you passed my little test. Bravo. This makes you eligible to join, er…" She hesitated, "The Human Club. "

"Was it worth it, money over the lives of these brilliant people?" He smiled at Jabe and her cohorts.

"It depends on your definition of people, and that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries." She chuckled. "Take me to court, then, Doctor, and watch me smile and cry and flutter "

"And creak." He added mockingly.

"And what?" A tone of panic entering her voice.

"You're drying out," Rose added quietly.

She called out for her assistants before turning pleading eyes to the Doctor, "Have pity! Moisturise me! Oh, oh, Doctor. I'm sorry. I'll do anything."

He shook his head, "Everything has its time and everything dies."

Finally, she looked at Rose. "Please Rose, you said you were human. Show me some humanity."

"You wouldn't recognize humanity if it danced the tango in front of you." She retorted.

Cassandra's skin began to stretch, her veins pulsing wildly as her pallor darkened in hue. "I'm too young!" She wailed before being ripped to shreds by the pressure.

They were back in the Observation Gallery. The Earth was little more than a scattering of asteroids, the sun blazed triumphantly through the planet's destruction.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked gently as she took in the pained expression on the Doctor's face.

His eyes widened in surprise before guilt flashed across his face. "Am I alright? I should be asking you the same thing. I made a real mess of it all."

"I don't know about that." She tilted her head to the door. "You saved that lot didn't you."

Blue eyes, clouded over, "I couldn't save everyone. And you got hurt Rose, that's on me."

She shook her head, "It was my decision to help you."

"You shouldn't have to make those decisions." He looked back out of the window. "You wanted to know why I brought you here. My planet's gone. It's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust before its time. I just…"

"You wanted someone to understand."

He raked his fingers through his cropped hair in distress, "It wasn't fair on you. I could have brought you somewhere else, somewhere better. I'm just a bitter lonely old man. I don't expect anything from you Rose. I'm glad you were even willing to come with me."

She caught his hand in hers entwining their fingers. She winced as his hand rubbed against her sore flesh. "After all that and we didn't even get to say goodbye. The Earth died and no one was there to see it." She smiled at him, "It's okay."

He returned the smile gratefully, "Life goes on. Let me show you." She laughed as he dragged her back to the TARDIS.

The air was thick with pollution and the grease of a nearby hotdog stand. A baby wailed into the busy street as a group of teenagers laughed and ran around the square. The contrast between the streets teeming with life and that poor dead planet were jarring.

Rose rubbed her newly healed hands together.

"You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete, but it won't. One day it's all gone. Even the sky." He watched the clouds pass nostalgically, "There was a war, that's how my planet died. We lost…everyone lost…even me and I'm the only survivor." He cleared his throat, "The last of the Time Lords. I'm sure if the council could have chosen anyone to survive I would have been their last choice. I'm left travelling on my own 'cos there's no one else."

Rose reached for his hand, squeezing it; partially to comfort him and partially to distract her from the drums slowly increasing in volume. She pointedly ignored them, "You have me."

He smiled down at her sadly, "I've already put you in danger once, twice even with that locked room." He frowned, "Come to think of it how did you get out?"

Rose shrugged, "I just opened up the wall panel and messed about with the wires."

He gave her a dubious look, "Your random messing had more success than my highly developed technology."

"Maybe I'm just cleverer than you." She teased playfully.

He laughed, "You think so?"

"I know so." She jerked her head in the direction of the TARDIS, "Come on then, time to prove how clever you are.

He grinned, "I'll take you anywhere in the universe Rose, just you wait."


	4. The Unquiet Dead: Dreams and Dilemmas

Hello, thank you for all of your kind reviews and encouragement. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've just finished my A-levels. I've spent most of my time revising. Hopefully, I'll be able to update more often.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

" **Let her go!" The Doctor demanded indignantly.**

 **He threw his head back and laughed, his actions full of manic glee. It was a cunning mask, hiding the painful twisting in his stomach. The Master adjusted the gun held to the woman's head. He cared not what her name was; it was her affiliation with the Doctor.**

 **His threatening of her caused his sworn enemy anguish.**

" **Do you think he'll weep if you die?" He asked the brunette conversationally. He brought his lips to her ear, ignoring her trembling. "I'll let you in on a secret, give it a year and he'll have forgotten your name. Humans are little more than mayflies."**

 **The Doctor wrung his hands in distress. "Please, you don't want to do this."**

 **His eyes flashed angrily. The Master raised his left hand to stroke his beard thoughtfully, "Au contraire. Worry not, the pain of losing her won't last for long. After all, you left me without a second thought, is that not so?"**

Rose jerked awake, her heart pounded fiercely in her chest. Already the dream was slipping away, the vividness fading. _I think I should be concerned with the frequency of my lucid dreams._ Pushing that to the back of her mind, she cast her thoughts upon her last adventure. _It must have been painful for the Doctor to lose his planet, I feel guilty for pushing him so much. I can only hope he doesn't throw me out._

0o0o0o0o0o0

Rose stumbled through the corridors of the TARDIS. Her eyes flickered to an overhead light which flashed on and off as if to indicate that this was the correct path. Smiling lightly she stroked the walls. The TARDIS hummed warmly in the back of her mind in a comforting manner. _I wonder why the Doctor seemed so surprised that I knew the TARDIS was alive, is that unusual? It seems pretty obvious._

"Finally awake I see."A voice called from the control room, he grinned broadly. "You humans, you spend most of your life asleep. The rest of it you spend walking around with your eyes shut."

"A regular charmer, aren't you?" She retorted, with a hint of a smile playing across her lips.

The Doctor pulled a lever down causing the central cylinder to shine even brighter. His body language seemed a lot more relaxed than the day before, as though having such a frank conversation before had alleviated a weight from his shoulders.

"Right then. Time Travel. All you basically need to know is time is essentially mutable, save for specific fixed points in time."

"What happens if I step on a butterfly?" She mocked.

He rolled his eyes, "You lot. You think that such a tiny change in the past will significantly change the future yet you don't believe anything you do in the present has any significance at all. You'll be fine."

He began his dance around the console, "Hold that one down." He called out as his fingers flew across a series of buttons. He TARDIS shuddered sending Rose flying backwards. "Oi, you shouldn't be doing that." Rose made her way back over to the centre; her fingers hovered over a green lever hesitantly. She yanked it down and across, leading to the TARDIS desisting her whining. The Doctor strolled over. "There, easy." Gesturing to the door. "What do you think? 1860 out there."

Rose grinned back and eagerly made her way to the door. The Doctor seized her arm. "You're not going out there dressed like that; you'll start a riot Barbarella." The blonde pouted at him.

"What if we have to run for our lives? I'm not wearing a dress." She crossed her arms.

Pointing behind him, "There's a wardrobe through there. First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left. Why do you always assume there will be trouble?"

She blinked, not fully comprehending his list of directions. She widened her eyes slightly and cast him a pitiful look.

He sighed, "The longer you take to get ready the less time you'll have to explore.

She reluctantly left the room. Calling behind "What happened to this being a time machine?"

O0o0o0o0o0

Rose descended from the stairs, she tugged at the black bodice of the dress anxiously. _There's no way I can move quickly in this if there is an emergency. At least the long length hides my boots._

The Doctor looked up at her, his eyebrows shooting upwards. "Blimey." He rubbed a hand over his short hair, "You look beautiful." He paused, "Considering." He amended.

Rose felt her cheeks flush red, "Considering what!"

"Well…" he hesitated, "That you're human."

"I'm flattered." She responded sarcastically. A part of her felt irritated with being referred to so dismissively as a human. Each time the Doctor made a remark about 'her lot' it felt like there was an itch under her skin that she couldn't quite scratch. "Well, you best enjoy it while you can. You're not getting me in a dress again. It's a safety hazard."

"You're telling me." He muttered.

Darting towards the door, "It's my turn; you've had plenty of opportunities." She blinked in surprise at the feel of snow crunching under her foot. The chilly air carried a cool clean scent and the heavy clouds seemed laden with the weight of more snow. She closed her eyes and took deep breathes. _So this is what it is to be in another time._ She felt quite giddy. _Imagine all of the things you could do with the ability to travel in time, all the things you could see._ The drumming started up again in her head, wincing slightly she rubbed her forehead. _Think of all that you could conquer._ She shuddered at the intrusive thought. _Definitely not how I'm going to spend my time._

The Doctor had followed after her. "Earth, Naples, December 24th, 1860." He puffed his chest out proudly.

She smiled brightly, "I never thought I would be spending Christmas Eve in the past. A single moment in time that happens only once. You can see moments which are dead and gone. Does it ever get lonely?"

His smile faltered as he shifted his feet, looking at her intently, "Well, I've got you now. I have a funny feeling that you aren't going to let me get rid of you."

Punching him lightly, "Too right. This is my life now."

The soft sound of Christmas carols floated on the breeze, everything about this moment felt so perfect. The Doctor looped his arm through her own giving a mocking semi-bow to which she scoffed lightly. The Doctor snatched a newspaper off of a nearby bench, he shook it out and frowned at it. "I got the flight a bit wrong."

"So what?"

"It's not 1860, it's 1869."

"And?" She teased.

He looked sheepish, "It's not Naples either. We're in Cardiff"

Laughing loudly, "How on Earth did you pass your driving test?"

He smirked, "Whoever said anything about passing it."

Rose cast her eyes around the dim, lamp-lit streets. "Say, how are we going to speak to anyone. I don't know a word of Welsh."

The Doctor looked amused. "And yet you didn't ask how you were able to speak to the aliens on Platform One."

"I didn't think of that. "She shrugged. "I was preoccupied."

"The TARDIS's translation matrix operates as an interface, she translates any known language in the universe."

 _I feel like I should be concerned that a machine can so easily get inside my head. But she doesn't feel malevolent. The TARDIS feels kind and warm. Is it really a bad thing?_ Then a disturbing thought occurred to her.

"She can't like read my mind or anything, right?"

The Doctor's brow furrowed, "Not unless you want her to. Why?"

"Just curious." She mumbles. There's an awful lot in her head that was in the best interest of everyone if it stayed there. What would the Doctor think of her dreams? She occasionally caught the surprised looks on his face when she let slip information she shouldn't have known. _Maybe I should just ask him about it._

Suddenly a loud scream ripped through the air, shattering the peacefulness. She felt affection race through her as she noticed the Doctor's eyes light up. _He can't stay away from trouble that one._

"That's more like it!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o

She grasped the Doctor's hand tightly as he lead her in the direction of the scream towards a theatre, great crowds of people were racing out of it with mixed looks of terror and awe on their faces. Upon entry, they saw vibrant blue vapour rise from a fallen body and thrash wildly in the air before disappearing into a lantern.

"Fantastic." Exclaimed the Doctor excitedly. He turned towards a bearded man who glared down at them angrily. "Did you see where it came from?"

The man's eyes narrowed "Ah, the wag reveals himself, does he? I trust you're satisfied, sir!"

Rose was more interested in the unusual pair attempting to remove the body in question. A young woman with curly hair escaping her cap ended up losing her hold on the body, only to be scolded by the older man. Following them outside of the theatre she called after them, "What're you doing?"

The middle-aged man blustered, "Nothing for you to concern your pretty little head about, I assure you."

Her nose wrinkled at his dismissive tone as she approached the body. "What's wrong with her?"

"Oh, it's a tragedy, miss. Don't worry yourself. Me and the master will deal with it. The fact is, this poor lady's been taken with the brain fever and we have to get her to the infirmary." The servant girl spoke rapidly.

Rose placed her hand on the woman's forehead. She recoiled at the absence of warmth. "She's dead! What are yo-" She was cut off when a dirty rag was shoved into her mouth, her cries for help were muffled as her struggling grew weaker. With one last attempt to push the man behind her away, she finally passed out.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

" **How pitiful. This is the second time we've been rendered unconscious so easily. I suggest you try harder."** A dark voice echoed in her mind on the edge of unconsciousness, it stirred her from her sleep. She stretched out feeling her neck click; rubbing it she swung to her feet and cast her eyes around the room. The only noticeable pieces of furniture save the tables were a pair of large black coffins.

The lid of one coffin rose, revealing a young man. Shadows were ingrained deeply under his eyes. The eyes themselves lacked any colour, they stared at her hollowly without a flicker of emotion.

"Hello?" She called to him hesitantly, seeing no apparent recognition. "I have a feeling you're not the friendly type." With that, she spun on her heel to the door. She flinched when she saw him reach his arms out. A second figure rose from the other coffin. It was the body of the old lady she saw back in the theatre.

"Bloody cliché zombies." She wrenched the door handle, it refused to give. "Why does this always happen." Feeling desperate she began to hammer on the door. "Open the door! Let me out!" Hearing voices on the other side encouraged her. "Somebody open the door!" She cast an anxious look behind her to the advancing 'zombies.' She shrieked as a hand grasped her shoulder, frozen fingers made their way to her neck. Rose's pulse jumped rapidly.

The door buckled and Rose was pushed away by the force. A firm warm grasp pulled her away from the deadened hands. "I think this is my dance." The jovial tone was undermined by the apparent fury across his face.

"It's a prank. It must be. We're under some mesmeric influence." The same bearded man from earlier blathered.

"No, we're not. The dead are walking." He pulled Rose closer into his body and shifted his arms to steady her. "Hi." She was gifted with a brief smile and flash of relief.

"You took your time." She responded, "Where did you pick up that one?" She gestured to the man behind him.

"Oh, that's Charles Dickens. I found him at the theatre. Nice bloke."

"Right…Charles Dickens." It was still surprising how simply the Doctor could state what normally would seem such an absurd statement.

The Doctor released her and gently moved her behind him to face the 'not quite deceased'. "My name's the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?"

The male's mouth opened, multiple voices overlaying each other responded, "Open the rift. We're dying. Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us." Their desperate plea ended with a pained cry. Cerulean gas billowed out of both of their mouths leaving their bodies to crumple to the ground, discarded.

0o0o0o0o0o

Rose sat in the living room glowering at the man she now knew as Mr Sneed. "First of all you drug me, then you kidnap me, and don't think I didn't feel your hands having a quick wander, you dirty old man." She spat.

"I will not be spoken to like this!" he retorted indignantly. His face turned puce.

Rose held a hand up to silence him. "Did you really think you could get away with leaving me in a room of zombies, to die." Her voice grew lower as the drums hammered in the back of her head angrily, "Did you think there wouldn't be consequences. You filthy little…" She paused seeing the Doctor's look of concern. She blinked and most of the anger dissipated. "Just tell us what's going on."

"It's not my fault. It's this house. It always had a reputation." He paused, bringing a hand to his mouth. "Haunted. But I never had much bother until a few months back, and then the stiffs." He glanced over at a disapproving Charles Dickens. "The er... dearly departed started getting restless.

"Tommyrot." Dickens rebuked, "Such things cannot be explained within the boundaries of science."

"You'd be surprised what science can and can't explain." The Doctor remarked.

Rose noticed how the servant girl kept casting nervous glances in her direction, there was something fearful in the way she regarded her. _What's her problem?_ Her eyes followed her retreating figure curiously. _Perhaps it's time we had a chat._

Leaving the living room she made her way to the pantry. The lamps cast flickering shadows on the walls that filled her with unease. "I don't think we've been introduced." She called out.

Rose watched the woman flinch. "Gwyneth, Miss." She tilted her head downwards submissively.

Rose tapped her fingers across the surface of the table; she missed the feel of her pocket watch in her jeans pocket. "Well, I'm Rose. It's nice to meet you."

Gwyneth straightened her apron, her eyes darted to the door behind Rose as if calculating whether or not she could escape. This filled Rose with unease, _why is she so afraid?_

"I'm afraid I have a lot of work to do Miss. If you would be so kind as to join your friend in the other room."

"Why?" She asked bluntly.

"Miss T-Tyler…" the poor woman stuttered.

Rose frowned, "How do you know my surname, I never told you that."

Gwyneth began to busy herself with arranging the crockery, she turned away from Rose. "Sometimes I know things I cannot explain."

A pang raced through her as she felt a wave of pity. "Yeah, sometimes that happens to me too."

Gwyneth turned back around to face her; her eyes glinted with righteousness, "Begging your pardon Miss but we are nothing alike."

Heat flared in her cheeks, _what could I possibly have done to get her to dislike me so much?_ "I'm sorry if I've said something to upset you. I really didn't mean to."

The woman's eyes glazed over as she looked in Rose's direction, "It's what you've already done and will do so again. The lost child, cruelly discarded by fate, the never-ending drums." Her voice grew faint. A hand reached out to grip her own, "The Big Bad Wolf."

Rose detached her easily, more shaken by her words than her actions. Her mind screamed in protest, _how can she know about the drums, what does she mean 'what you've already done.' I refuse to believe this is all true. I've done nothing to warrant such distrust._

"I'm sorry." Gwyneth whispers quietly, "It's not like you can control any of it. I pray to God's benevolence that he might grant you mercy."

Rose swallowed loudly, feeling even worse.

"I can't always control it."

"But it's getting stronger, more powerful, is that right?" A deep voice intruded from the hallway causing Rose to Jump. _How much did he hear?_ She tried to gauge his reaction but the Doctor's face was unfortunately blank.

"All the time, sir. Every night, voices in my head." Gwyneth responded miserably.

"You grew up on top of the rift. You're part of it. You're the key."

"I've tried to make sense of it, sir. Consulted with spiritualists, table rappers, all sorts." She trailed off.

"Is that so. I guess it will stand us in good stead for the séance."

"Séance?" Rose blinked.

"Yep." He popped the 'p', smiling softly as he grabbed Rose's hand, "Come on before that lot dies of boredom."

0o0o0o0o0o0

The lights were dim, each frightened face was illuminated by a single candle in the centre of the table. It had taken a mixture of careful persuasion and not so careful goading before everyone was willing to take part.

" Speak to us. Are you there? Spirits, come. Speak to us that we may relieve your burden." Whispers began to fill the room. It took all of Rose's will to not turn around and seek out the apparent source of the sound.

"Can you hear that?" Rose asked tentatively.

"Nothing can happen. This is sheer folly." Came the ever joyful voice of Dickens. _Why is he here again?_

"I see them. I feel them." Gwyneth choked out. Tendrils of vivid blue gas began to twist above their heads, they reached out for Gwyneth.

"They can't get through the rift. Gwyneth, it's not controlling you, you're controlling it." He sent her a reassuring smile. "Now, look deep. Allow them through."

"I can't!" She sobbed, her distress was palpable.

"Yes, you can. Just believe it. I have faith in you, Gwyneth. Make the link." The Doctor urged.

"Yes." She sighed, her body growing lax. Faint blue figures appeared behind her.

"Great God! Spirits from the other side." Gasped an astounded Mr Sneed.

"The other side of the universe." The Doctor corrected.

"Pity us. Pity the Gelth. There is so little time. Help us." Childish voices called out. It sent shivers racing down Rose's spine.

The Doctor gazed at the figures, completely mesmerized. "What do you want us to do?"

"The Rift. Take the girl to the rift. Make the bridge."

"What for?"

"We are so very few. The last of our kind. We face extinction." The figures seemed to turn slightly to appraise the Doctor. "Once we had a physical form like you, but then the war came."

Dickens seemed equally entranced with the Gelth, "War? What war?"

"The Time War. The whole universe convulsed. The Time War raged. Invisible to smaller species but devastating to higher forms. Our bodies wasted away. We're trapped in this gaseous state."

Rose froze. _Time War._ Familiar words which caused her hands to shake and her grip to tighten. Her vision blurred. Proud draconian figures danced behind her eyes lids, decimated until they were nought but smoke. A shrill metallic voice called out from the darkness **"Extermi-"**

"So that's why you need the corpses." The Doctor stated. Rose's eyes snapped to his ashen face, his hand gripped her own just as tightly.

"We want to stand tall, to feel the sunlight, to live again. We need a physical form, and your dead are abandoned. They're going to waste. Give them to us." They pleaded. "Open the rift. Let the Gelth through. We're dying. Help us. Pity the Gelth." The bluish gas raced towards the gas lamps leaving an exhausted Gwyneth to collapse across the tabletop.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Rose was dimly aware of the Doctor explaining the situation to the others. She was still shaken from what happened earlier, the vice grip of fear and the alarming visions. _Ever since I met the Doctor it's become worse._

"Which is why they need the girl." Dickens chimed in.

Rose's head snapped up at this, she rubbed her shoulder gently where one of the Gelth had gripped her earlier. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"What do you mean?" The Doctor frowned at her, "She can help. Living on the rift, she's become part of it. She can open it up, make a bridge and let them through."

"I don't deny that Gwyneth could do it. But I'm really not sure that she should." Rose insisted.

The Doctor grew tense, his arms folded angrily as he regarded her with disappointment. "I thought you were better than this Rose. What does it matter if they use the bodies of the dead? It's like recycling."

"That isn't the problem." She raised her voice.

He threw his arms up in the air, "Then what is, I get that it's a different morality but if you can't get used to it then go home."

Her eyes began to prickle. "They tried to kill me when I was locked in that room. Do you really think it's a good idea to release that lot onto the unsuspecting public?"

"They were scared." He argued, "I'm sure you lash out when you're afraid."

 _He isn't listening at all. Does my opinion mean nothing to him?_

"Don't I get a say, Miss?" Gwyneth asked, finally regaining consciousness. "My angels need me. Doctor what do I need to do"

"You don't have to do anything." He reminded her gently.

"They've been singing to me since I was a child, sent by my Mam on a holy mission. So tell me." She replied with determination.

"We need to find the rift. This house is on a weak spot, so there must be a spot that's weaker than any other." He turned to Mr Sneed. "Mr Sneed, what's the weakest part of this house? The place where most of the ghosts have been seen?"

"That would be the morgue." He answered.

"Do none of you think this is a bad idea?" Rose asked. Only for the Doctor to ignore her. Gwyneth shook her head and marched on past.

0o0o0o0o

"Urgh." He groaned, "Talk about Bleak House."

Rose couldn't bring herself to smile at his pun. _Self-righteous bastard._ White sheets covered the surfaces of most of the room's tables as they approached a large concrete archway. The Gelth began to appear, hovering over the archway.

"You've come to help. Praise the Doctor. Praise him." Blue figures flickered in and out of existence.

"Look, we can stop this now." She pleaded, "Please just leave."

The Doctor sighed, "I can't Rose, they're victims of a war I'm responsible for. The least I can do is help them."

"Hurry! Please, so little time. Pity the Gelth."

"I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer. Somewhere you can build proper bodies. This isn't a permanent solution, all right?" He called out.

Gwyneth approached the arch with her arms outstretched as she beckoned the Gelth into the world. "Yes, I can see you. I can see you. Come!"

"It is begun. The bridge is made." Blue gas poured non-stop out of the woman's mouth, it flooded the room like a tidal wave. "She has given herself to the Gelth. The bridge is open. We descend." Suddenly the blue apparition turned molten, flame-like tendrils spread from its ghostly form. In a deeper voice, it exclaimed: "The Gelth will come through in force."

"You said you were few in number." Dickens challenged as he edged away from the spectacle.

"A few billion." It retorted, "And all of us in need of corpses." With that bodies began to rise from beneath the sheets scattered around the room. Mr Sneed tried to reason with Gwyneth, only to have his neck snapped viciously and the same deep echoing voice rang out from the new corpse.

"I think it's gone a little bit wrong." The Doctor muttered, grabbing Roses arm and retreating.

"Oh, you think." She snapped. They were backed slowly against a large metal gate, pushing it open they pulled the latch down to prevent the Gelth from entering. Rose rather wished that she didn't have to see the corpse's rotting arms reach through the bars towards her.

"Doctor, I can't. I'm sorry. This new world of yours is too much for me." Dickens turned and fled from the room as fast as possible.

"Give yourself to glory. Sacrifice your lives for the Gelth."

"I trusted you. I pitied you!" Despair tinged his voice.

"We don't want your pity. We want this world and all its flesh."

"Not while I'm alive."

"Then live no more."

0o0o0o0o0

"I guess it's like you said before. Time is malleable. I suppose it will be like I never existed."

The Doctor's face twisted with grief, "I'm so sorry Rose. I let them get inside my head. I just wanted to make things right."

Rose slid to the ground, uncaring of how filthy her dress now was. "You didn't listen to me."

Such ancient sorrow in the Doctor's gaze sought out her compassion. "I know. I keep messing things up with you. This is all my fault."

"Assigning blame won't fix things." _I guess this is the price. The price for running off with a madman in a box. Oh God, what will my Mum do? She'll never see me again._ She shivered. _Da da day dum, da da day dum._ The drums echoed hungrily. _What am I supposed to do? Am I really going to die here?_

"I saw the fall of Troy, World War Five. I pushed boxes at the Boston Tea Party. Now I'm going to die in a dungeon in Cardiff." The Doctor's voice sounded somewhat hysterical.

"I'm a nobody who couldn't complete their A-levels. I ran off with a loser in a band and I will never even get the chance to accomplish anything." Rose replied.

"No." The Doctor crouched down to wrap his arm around her, "You Rose Tyler are brilliant. Who was it that stopped the Autons?" She buried her head in his jacket, "And who saved Jabe from being burnt alive?"

"I'm not a hero, Doctor. Sometimes I don't even think I'm a good person." She whispered desolately.

"There is no such thing as good and bad people, only circumstances and decisions." He stroked her hair softly.

"What if you choose all of the wrong ones?"

"It's something you have to learn to live with."

She breathed deeply, "It isn't your fault that they manipulated you. You wanted to help."

"I'll be happy to live with the consequences of my actions, if we actually _live_ through this."

Icy blue eyes met hers determinedly. Rose squeezed his hand. "No matter what happens…we're in this together."

"I'm so glad I met you." His words filled her chest with warmth. A warmth that part of her mind rebelled against. She ignored the uneasiness and returned his sentiment.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Rose started at the sudden appearance of Dickens. "Turn off the flame, turn up the gas! Now, fill the room, all of it, now!" He demanded.

"What're you doing?" The Doctor asked in wonder.

"Turn it all on. Flood the place!" He raced over to the nearest lamp, Rose could make out the low hiss of gas escaping.

"Oh wonderful, we're going to choke to death instead of starving in here."

"No Rose. If you fill the room with gas, it'll draw them out of the host. Suck them into the air like poison from a wound."

" I hope, oh Lord, I hope that this theory will be validated soon, if not immediately," Dickens muttered as he stared apprehensively at the shambling corpses.

Helping the Doctor rip open a gas pipe she watched in amazement as the bodies began to drop to the ground. _I feel kind f bad for dismissing Dickens so much, especially seeing as he's saved our lives._

"Gwyneth, send them back. They lied. They're not angels." The Doctor told her earnestly.

"Liars?" her voice was so faint, her face lily white.

Rose could barely pay attention to what he was saying, her lungs ached fiercely and her vision began to swim. She wanted to help Gwyneth but it took most of her effort to even remain standing. She vaguely heard the Doctor instruct Dickens to help her out.

Freezing air hit her burning cheeks. Her knees protested at the sudden shock of the cold snow as she stumbled to the ground. _I nearly died today._

A loud bang rang out behind her as she saw flames engulf the building she had just left. The Doctor ran towards her, his mouth set in a grim line.

"She didn't make it." She stated. Not a question.

"I'm sorry Rose, she was already dead from the moment she stepped under that arch."

"How is that possible?"

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Even for you, Doctor." Charles Dickens claimed wisely.

And yet in spite of her admiration for Gwyneth's courage and her sorrow at her passing, a greater part of her was relieved. _If Gwyneth was tricked by the Gelth into believing they were angels then surely all of those things she said about me won't come to pass._

They gave their farewells to Charles Dickens and reentered the TARDIS.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Rose perched awkwardly on one of the TARDIS' jump seats. The Doctor tinkering away at the control panel, occasionally giving her indiscernible looks. The sudden surge of her dreams and vivid daydreams were frankly frightening. They hadn't been this bad since before she had gained her last therapist. His relaxation techniques had been an integral part of her understanding and moving past her dreams. In the light of her adventures with the Doctor, specifically the existence of the TARDIS, something she had once drawn as a child; Rose was unsure what to think.

"Is something wrong?" The Doctor asked quietly.

"Just thinking."

"Anything I can help with?" he offered.

She smiled, "Not unless you have a way of contacting Earth from all the way out here." She gestured around the room.

He grinned, "As a matter of fact I do, give us your phone."

Shrugging she handed it over. The Doctor ran his sonic screwdriver over it before triumphantly returning it. "There we go. You can contact anyone in the universe, from anywhere in the universe. A hell of a boost don't you think?"

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it." His brows scrunched together, "Are you sure there's nothing else I can do. If you need to talk…"

She shook her head, "There's just some…stuff I need to work out.

0o0o0o0o

She listened to the dial tone before counting the number of 'rings.' One, two, three, four…

"Hello? This is Doctor Smith speaking."


	5. Aliens of London: It's Not My Day

"Hello? This is Doctor Smith speaking." The cheerful voice on the other side chimed.

Rose breathed heavily, uncertain what to say. Her fingernails tapped against the phone gently whilst her mind clouded over _. I really should have rehearsed what I was going to say._ She thought mournfully.

"This is Rose isn't it?" The voice on the other end asked hesitantly.

"Yes." She croaked out.

"Ah, what can I do for you, Miss Tyler?"

Rose's free hand went to fiddle with her Fob watch. Irrationally she had felt anxious being parted with it whilst wearing her Victorian gown. "The dreams are back."

"I see." He paused. "Have you been maintaining your exercises? It is important to clear your mind at night. If you indulge your fantasies they will become more vivid."

Rose let out a frustrated hiss, "I'm not indulging them, I'm practically inviting them on a date and dancing the tango with them. The blue box I dreamed of, I've seen it in real life and I'm not the only one."

He was silent for a while. "A blue box, like the one you drew as a child? I'm afraid there is little I can do to help you then."

Her blood turned cold. "What do you mean; it's your job to help me."

"It has been my honour to aid you Rose Tyler. However, I'm afraid that any therapy I offer you shall be in vain, especially since you have become acquainted with the subject of your dreams. Your dreams will continue so long as you are in contact with the stimuli that triggered them."

 _Is he trying to say that I would have to give up travelling with the Doctor? I can't do that. I mustn't. Besides the dreams aren't always bad, just strange. Why can't he just help me?_

"The things I dreamed about are real. The TARDIS is real, I can't just leave it all behind."

"I know." He soothed, "If they are as real as you say then surely you do not need therapy. Reality is easily mistaken for fiction."

Rose began to feel uneasy. She had known Dr Smith for roughly eight years. Her mother had brought her to a number of Doctors due to her nightmares, gruesome alien attacks and destruction. Sometimes they were so bad, she spaced out during the day and they continued. Dr Smith had recommended she draw the things she saw to help understand them. He had listened attentively when she had created names for these beings and comforted her when she cried. Now he was throwing her away. What kind of a professional encouraged her acceptance of these delusions?

"I don't understand. Shouldn't you be trying to medicate me? I'm telling you I have seen aliens and spaceships. Surely that isn't normal." She insisted.

"I believe you Rose Tyler." He let out a long sigh. "And I am sorry, so very sorry."

"For what?"

"Things won't be easy for you. It's hard to make the right choices; but you have to remember, no matter what, you must seek the truth. Grudges and hatred are greater tragedies when based upon fallacies." She heard him breathe out softly, "I have to go now, but I will always be there when you need me."

 _Nothing makes sense, for years he has been my therapist. Now he's telling me to accept my new reality. Did he know all of this was real before? Why would he keep that a secret from me?_ Her chest ached and her eyes watered. She felt betrayed. Dr Smith was her friend, he listened to her without ridicule and now he's gone.

Gazing at her phone Rose scrolled through her contacts. _I haven't spoken to Mum since I left the flat for my date with Mickey._ It was strange. When she travelled with the Doctor everything about her life faded away. It became unimportant. Sadly that included her mother. _I feel guilty for forgetting about her, I haven't called her once. Out here seeing the universe, it's like I forgot I even had a mother. I'm such a bad daughter._

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Rose burst out of the TARDIS, she breathed in the stale musty air of London. _Home sweet home._ Her eyes flickered over the graffiti-covered walls and she smiled slightly at the distant shouts of a group of youths. _Everything is the same here._ The Doctor stood in the doorway of the TARDIS with his arms crossed, his expression was almost surly.

"Are we going to be here long?"

"I need to check in with my Mum." She shrugged a hoodie on over her shoulders. "How long have I been gone?"

A look of pride crossed his face as he closed the TARDIS door, "Oh, about twelve hours."

"Are you certain on that one?" She teased. "Not in Wales are we?"

"See for yourself." He huffed.

The Doctor watched Rose race off with a fond expression. A streak of pink against grey. _What am I going to do with that girl?_ He remembered the way she had held his hand back in the morgue, the desperation across her face, the will to survive. She was so alive, so human but not. Sometimes he would catch a glimpse of sadness in her honey tinted brown eyes. There was empathy. It should have been sympathy. When he spoke of the War, of his planet there was understanding in her eyes. It was impossible. _Who are you Rose Tyler?_ This human had a secret, he could see it in the guarded way she held herself and yet she was kind. She had saved Jabe, had forgiven him for believing the Gelth over her. She had been so sad after Gwyneth died, sad and contemplative. He wished she would reach out to him.

0o0o0o0o0

"I'm back!" Rose called out, locking the door behind her. "I was at Mickey's, I fell asleep watching a movie." She lied. She turned the corner only to see her mother gawping at her. Her hair was unkempt and her pink bathrobe stained carelessly. The mug her mother had been gripping fell from her hand, tea trickled across the floor as it shattered loudly.

"It's you." Her mother whispers.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Her joke fell flat as uneasiness seeped into her bones.

"Oh, my God. It's you. Oh, my God." She chanted it like a prayer, clutching her daughter tightly as tears streamed from her eyes. Tacky blue makeup ran across her cheeks. "Oh, Rose."

Rose, not one for hugging, patted her mother awkwardly. Her gaze landed on the table, littered with flyers. Flyers with her face plastered across them. **Rose Tyler has been missing from her home on the Powell Estate since 6th March 2005.** _For God's sake._

The front door burst open, a bedraggled Doctor raced into the kitchen. "It's not twelve hours, it's twelve months. You've been gone a whole year." He spoke in a rush. "Sorry." He tacked on apologetically after taking in the tearful expression of Jackie Tyler.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"The hours I've sat here, days and weeks and months, all on my own. I thought you were dead, and where were you? Travelling." Her mother continued to rant to the police officer. "What the hell does that mean, travelling? That's no sort of answer. You ask her." She gestured rudely in Rose's direction, "She won't tell me. That's all she says. Travelling."

Rose rolled her eyes. "That's what I was doing."

Her mother whirled around, her face flushed red, "When your passport's still in the drawer? It's just one lie after another." She grabbed Rose's shoulders, "You could have at least called me." A sharp twinge of regret raced up Rose's spine.

"Actually, it's my fault. I sort of er, employed Rose as my companion." He Doctor intervened after seeing Rose glare at him balefully.

"When you say companion, is this a sexual relationship?" Asked the officer.

Heat raced to Rose's face. "No!" She cried in unison with an equally flustered Doctor. She hadn't thought of the Doctor in that sense, he was a friend, an enigma. Part of her was fascinated with him whilst another part of her was intimidated. He was wholly other than anyone she had ever met. It was as if she was caught up in his gravity.

"Then what is it? Because you, you waltz in here all charm and smiles, and the next thing I know, she vanishes off the face of the Earth! How old are you then? Forty? Forty-five?" Her mother advances on the Doctor. "What, did you find her on the Internet? Did you go online and pretend you're a doctor?"

"I am a Doctor!" He replied in indignation.

"Prove it." She snarled, "Stitch this, mate!" She brought her hand down across the alarmed Time Lords' face, leaving him blustering.

Rose's head started to ache, a low drumming starting up in the back of her mind, _da da day dum._ Her eyes narrowed as she scowled at her mother. _As if she has the right to strike him, a lowly human…_ Rose froze, unsure where her train of thought was going. "I need some air." She called out and slipped out on to the rooftop.

0o0o0o0o0

Rose swung her legs back and forth with a maudlin expression. "What am I supposed to tell her? I doubt she'd believe any of this, she never did before."

The Doctor frowned, catching the end of her sentence, "What do you mean by that?"

Rose blinked, "You know, normal stuff. Anyway, did I miss much whilst I was gone?"

"Mmh, Middling." He decided to file his enquiry to the back of his mind for later, part of the ever-growing list of questions about Rose Tyler.

"Ugh. You're so useless."

He tensed, "Well if it's this much trouble, are you going to stay here now?"

"No."She replied instantly without thinking. She stated it so vehemently that the Doctor raised his eyebrows. "I can't just go back there. There is nothing there for me; it's all so empty, so monochrome."

"Not even your mother?"

She shook her head, "She's content with her life, she doesn't need something more."

He reached out to take her hand, he squeezed it gently. "I suppose not everyone's cut out for this life. Mind you, even if your mother thought she was I wouldn't be bringing her. I don't do families."

It was said jokingly but there was a touch of sadness in his eyes. "Not ever?" She asked.

"Not anymore."

The uneasy silence was broken by the whirr of machinery and a sound similar to a fog horn. A large ship of roundish proportions sputtered, black smoke poured into the air. It seemed to lose momentum, weaving dramatically past Tower Bridge and St Paul's. At last, it crashed into the Clock Tower, letting out one last chime the face of Big Ben was left in ruins. The spaceship plummeted into the Thames.

Rose smiled helplessly as she watched glee cross the Doctor's face, the utter delight and curiosity taking hold of him made her fell strangely warm.

"Fantastic."

0o0o0o0o0o

After unsuccessfully fighting the crowds and being held back by military personnel Rose suggested they watch the proceedings on TV. The Doctor seemed bemused by the idea as if he couldn't comprehend ever doing something so _domestic_.

"I've got no choice." Jackie cut through the clamouring voices of the news report. She busied herself providing drinks for everyone, shooting the occasional dirty look at the Doctor. "I'm not going to make him welcome."

"Oi, I'm trying to listen." The man in question complained, focusing on the TV intently.

 **"They've found a body. It's unconfirmed, but I'm being told a body has been found in the wreckage. A body of non-terrestrial origins. It's being brought ashore."**

Rose snickered, seeing the Doctor attempt unsuccessfully to wrestle the remote from a toddler. _The Oncoming Storm, bested by a child._ She shook her head rapidly, _where did that come from? Weird name._

 **"Albion Hospital."** The reporter continued. **"We still don't know whether it's alive or dead. Whitehall is denying everything. But the body has been brought here, Albion Hospital. The road's closed off. It's the closest to the river."**

After the broadcast finished the Doctor jumped to his feet eagerly and raced out of the flat with a disgruntled Rose right behind him. She panted for breath slightly as they drew closer to the TARDIS.

"Going somewhere?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Who, me?" he asked innocently.

"I don't see anyone else running off to their time machine after seeing an alien invasion."

He blinked, "That's a tad strong, more of a crash landing."

 _Yes, because all races come in peace,_ she thought wryly. "Then where exactly are you going?"

He gave her a faux-wounded look, "I'm just off for a wander, I'll be right back."

"You can't just leave me here." She meant for her words to sound more demanding, instead, it sounded more like a plea. The Doctor's forehead creased as he regarded her solemnly.

He moved closer to her, "You do that a lot you know."

"What?"

"You act like I'm just going to leave in a blink of an eye. You grow tense whenever I mention returning to Earth."He grasped her hand. "I'm, not going to leave you, Rose, really I'm not."

She swallowed, "I know that." In a quiet voice.

"Go spend time with your Mum; I'll be back in a mo." He hesitated for a moment. "Here you can have this." He offered her a small golden key on a chain. "Passenger's privilege."

0o0o0o0o0

Rose was furious. She didn't know if she was more upset with the Doctor or herself. _If I keep clinging to him, he's going to think I'm pathetic._ But the Doctor was right. She couldn't quite escape the fear that he was going to leave her. _What do I have to offer him? I'm just an ordinary, stupid human._ She trailed back to the flat morosely. _What am I going to do about Mum? If I really had to choose then I really can't make myself give up the Doctor._

"Here's to the Martians!" Cheered her mother raising a glass in the air. The sentiment was echoed by the other bored housewives. It was almost sickening in a way. Eager eyes glued to the TV, hungry for any scrap of information. Rose chided herself for being so judgmental, _after all, it wasn't so long ago that I was just as oblivious as they are._

The door slammed loudly. There stood Mickey, his hands clenched by his side as he shot her a look, equal parts desperation and betrayal.

"Mickey." She breathed. She really hadn't given much thought to her boyfriend. Dutiful Mickey with his declarations of love she felt so hesitant to accept. Mickey with his easy smiles and boisterous laughter. Her stomach twisted at the sight of him.

Ru from across the road shared a look with Jackie. "Somebody owes him an apology.

Rose felt even worse. "I-Mickey…"

"Not you." Ru gestured towards her mother, rudely waving a plump finger.

"Well, it's not my fault. Be fair. What was I supposed to think?" She defended herself, placing her hands on her hips. Her defiant expression wavered. She bit her lip, glancing at Mickey.

By unspoken communication Rose found herself reluctantly following her mother and Mickey into the privacy of the kitchen, she felt uneasy without the buffer of strangers to keep her mother from prying.

Mickey moved closer to her causing Rose to flinch slightly. With a hurt expression, he stepped back. "You disappear, who do they turn to? Your boyfriend. Five times I was taken in for questioning." His voice grew louder. "Five times. No evidence. Course, there couldn't be, could there? And then I get her, your mother, whispering around the estate, pointing the finger. Stuff through my letterbox, and all 'cos of you."

"Well, I didn't exactly intend to be gone for a whole year." She replied sarcastically.

"And I waited for you, Rose." His eyes shone with emotion. "Twelve months, waiting for you and the Doctor to come back."

Rose winced as she saw the recognition flash across her mother's face. "Hold on. You knew about the Doctor? Why didn't you tell me?" _Here we go._

With a pointed look at Rose, he pushed the kitchen hatch shut, spinning back around in an overly exaggerated manner, "Yeah, yeah. Why not, Rose? Huh? How could I tell her where you went?"

"Don't Mickey." It came out harsher than she intended."

"Tell me now. " Her mother demanded.

"I might as well, 'cos you're stuck here. The Doctor's gone. Just now. That box thing just faded away." There was a sick sort of glee in his voice as he informed her.

"I already know Mickey." She wouldn't let him shake her, "He'll be back soon."

Mickey grabbed her wrist, yanking her towards the window, "See out there Rose. Aliens, adventure. Since this new boyfriend of yours is so clever, don't you think he's more concerned with other things than you?" His face drew closer, "You're just like the rest of us Rose, the sooner you give up on the Doctor the better."

"I am nothing like you." Her voice sounded dark, full of hidden promises. Even she was unclear what exactly she was promising.

0o0o0o0o0

 _He promised,_ she repeated to herself over and over again. A mantra. _I have a key; he isn't going to leave me._ She shuddered as her head started to ache again. It was a shame she couldn't take aspirin, she seemed to have a funny reaction to it.

"Like I said, your Doctor is gone." Mocked Mickey.

"Would you just shut up!" Rose Snapped. She had to count to ten…twice.

Her mother had trailed after them, constantly throwing out questions about the Doctor, questions that she didn't even know the answers to herself. "Sweetheart, please. I'm worried. You disappeared off into thin air for a whole year and I find out there's some kind of conspiracy that that one, " She gestured to Mickey, "has been in on as well."

"Don't involve me." He protested.

Rose had been toying with the key on her necklace; it was comforting in a way, almost as comforting as playing with her Fob watch chain. She frowns as the key became warmer. Rose regarded it with surprise as it began to glow in her hands. _Oh, Mum really shouldn't be around for this._ She shot Mickey a smug look to which he let out a resigned sigh. "Mum, you should go back inside, its getting cold." A familiar whooshing sound hit the air; papers began to rush past them. "Seriously Mum, go inside!"

Her mother stayed rooted to the spot. The TARDIS fully materialized before her eyes. _That's just great._

Jackie turned to her daughter with a dazed expression. "You didn't say 'e was a magician, Rose."

Rose allowed the familiar humming of the TARDIS to wash over her. Her headache began to calm down. Another was clearly beginning. She shook her head as she saw her mother poke at the main console.

The Doctor seemed rather pleased with himself. He was beaming at her. "I went and had a look, just like I said. But the whole crash landing's a fake." He spoke quickly whizzing around the console, apparently oblivious to her mother's gawping. " I thought so. Just too perfect. I mean, hitting Big Ben. Come on."

Rose coughed loudly and tilted her head in her mother's direction.

His smile faded instantly, "Oh, that's just what I need. Don't you dare make this place domestic."

Rose huffed. "Since you're the one who showed her the TARDIS isn't it up to you to explain? Isn't there like some kind of Prime Directive you have to follow?"

He looked torn between amusement and indignation, "The Shadow Proclamation." He corrected, "And no, I don't have to tell her a thing."

"Peachy," Rose muttered.

Suddenly Mickey was springing forward, jabbing a finger into the Doctor's arm, "You ruined my life, Doctor. They thought she was dead. I was a murder suspect because of you."

He sighed, "You see what I mean? Domestic."

"Since when were murder charges, casual domestics?" Rose asked.

He grinned, "That's nothing compared to what happened on Delterama, charged with twelve separate offences just because I told them I didn't like salad."

She rolled her eyes. She had the unfortunate feeling she would be doing that a lot in the future.

"If we could get back to the matter at hand." Groundout, Mickey. "I bet you don't even remember my name."

"Rickey." The Doctor responded barely paying attention to the incensed man.

"It's Mickey." He hissed.

The Doctor finally looked at him, "No, it's Rickey." He simply smiled at Rose's questioning look.

"I think I know my own name." His face was flushed as he glowered at the source of his agitation.

"You think you know your own name? How stupid are you?" He mocked.

In the corner of her eye, Rose noticed her mother exiting the TARDIS silently. _I should really go after her._ She paused, _then again, what is she going to do?_ She turned back to face Mickey and the Doctor. _It's scary how easy it would be to just ask him to leave. To avoid this whole mess with my mother. He would do it too, what with his hatred of domestics. But I can't do that. I really shouldn't want to do that. Mum deserves an explanation, so does Mickey; both of them care about me. I'm so selfish._

Rose cleared her throat, "So, that was a real spaceship then?"

Immediately the Doctor's attention was back on her, it made her chest feel warm. "Oh yes."

"So are they invading or just passing through?"

"Funny way to invade, putting the world on red alert," Mickey grumbled, determined to not be left out.

"Good point!" The Doctor seemed disgruntled when he realized he had just complimented Mickey. "So, what're they up to?"

Rose wandered off to one of the jump seats, her fingers gently stroked along the TARDIS' coral, warmth suffused through her mind in response. _Mmh, like a mental hug._ She was making a deliberate effort to ignore the Doctor and Mickey's bickering. _What am I going to do?_ She felt a sort of buzzing sensation in her head accompanied by a chirp as if the TARDIS was trying to reassure her.

Rose tensed slightly as Mickey threw himself down into the seat next to her, "Some friend you've got."

Steeling herself she clenched her fist, long nails pressed hard into the palm of her hands. "I'm sorry Mickey. You don't deserve all of the crap you've had to put up with."

His eyes widened, "Yeah. No shit." He seemed to chastise himself. "What I mean is…how could you have left for so long? I waited for you, I looked every day. You're my girlfriend Rose and you just left. With him."

Rose looked into his eyes earnestly, "If you had the chance to see the universe, planets and aliens. To find that there's more to life than just mundane routines wouldn't you take it?" She squeezed his hand, "Come on, you can't say you wouldn't be curious."

Mickey bit his lip, "You don't need _him_ for that. Blimey Rose, you've never left England. If you want to travel then get on a plane. I'd go with you. I know you're bored; you've always been different to the other girls. I swear I'll do better." His grip tightened. "I've been saving up money; we can get a place of our own. You don't need to be up there with him. Especially since we apparently have aliens on our doorstep."

Rose began to withdraw her hand from his grasp. "I'm sorry Mickey; it's not the same thing." She felt awful seeing his face crumple with distress. She really was fond of Mickey, she didn't want to hurt him but resigning herself to the confines of Earth with him forever seemed little more than a slow death.

"Got it! Ha, ha!" The Doctor crowed from across the room, "Patched in the radar, looped it back twelve hours so we can follow the flight of that spaceship. Here we go. Hold on. Come on. "He twists the monitor to face them, the screen showed the trajectory of the spaceship's descent. Rose was more curious about the circular squiggles at the sides of the screen. They were frustrating. It was like trying to remember a name, on the tip of your tongue but not quite managing it. She tuned out the circular patterns and began to pay attention to the Doctor again.

"…on its way to Earth, see? Except. Hold on. See?" He enlarged the screen. "The spaceship did a sling shot round the Earth before it landed."

"They were here, to begin with," Rose concluded.

The Doctor beamed at her proudly, "Right you are Rose Tyler. The question is if they've been here a while: what are they up to?"

0o0o00o0

Rose swung her legs back and forth, her thumb stroked along the pattern of her fob watch absent mindedly as she continued to frown at the interlocking circular patterns that adorned the monitors of the TARDIS. They were definitely familiar. Her nail began to dip into the grooves of the watch.

"How many channels do you get?" Mickey inquired.

"All the basic packages."

"You get sports channels?"

"Yes, I get the football." He sounded exasperated. His eyes flickered to an incoming news report, a group of military personnel had gathered outside of Downing Street. "Hold on, I know that lot."

" **It is looking likely that the Government's bringing in alien specialists - those people who have devoted their lives to studying outer space."**

"UNIT. United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. Good people." The Doctor declared.

Rose stiffened. They certainly sounded familiar. UNIT…where had she heard of that before? At the back of her mind, there was a flicker of an image; a man gallivanting around military outposts with a ridiculously long striped scarf. She shook her head to clear the image. "How do you know them?" She asked, finally.

"'Cos he's worked for them." Interrupted Mickey with a pleased look on his face. "Oh yeah, don't think I sat on my backside for twelve months, Doctor. I read up on you. You look deep enough on the Internet or in the history books, and there's his name, followed by a list of the dead." His statement was oddly reminiscent of Clive's warning when Rose herself had been investigating the Doctor.

The Doctor's mouth formed a hard line as he stared determinedly past Mickey. "That's nice. Good boy, Ricky." A faux-affectionate voice was used as if Mickey were a precocious child.

"If you know them, why don't you go and help?" Rose suggested.

He shook his head. "They wouldn't recognise me. I've changed a lot since the old days." Rose felt that there was something important underlying that statement. " Besides, the world's on a knife-edge. There's aliens out there and fake aliens. We want to keep this alien out of the mix. I'm going undercover." He cast a look around the TARDIS. "And er, I'd better keep the TARDIS out of sight. Ricky, you've got a car. You can do some driving."

 **[Powell Estate]**

They didn't get particularly far. The road was blocked at one end by armoured vehicles. Soldiers were communicating via radios. Giving up attempting to drive, they all exited Mickey's car. The noise seemed more overwhelming than usual as crowds were excitedly discussing the potential alien invasion. They hovered around the car unsure. Until suddenly the same armoured vehicles blocking the road ahead drew closer to them, cutting off the pavement. Mickey gave a yelp and scurried away from them both, no longer certain he wanted to be associated with them. Police officers approached. Armed police officers.

"Raise your hands above your head. You are under arrest."

"Take me to your leader." The Doctor replied gleefully.

"Did you have to go there?" She complained.

He shrugged. Rose had never seen someone so happy to be arrested. Not that she'd known many people who had been arrested, to begin with. They were ushered onto a police car in a surprisingly gentle manner.

"I'm not sure they can just arrest us without stating what grounds we are to be arrested on. It all seems a bit fishy if you ask me."

The Doctor shifted in his seat, straightening his leather jacket. "Nah, we're being escorted. Not arrested."

"Escorted where?" Rose asked warily.

"10 Downing Street of course."

"Hmm." She pondered. "When I was younger I always had this ambition to become the Prime Minister. I used to make Mum help me to design posters."

The Doctor looked like he was trying not to laugh, "You and paper work. From what you've told me you don't have the patience for desk jobs."

"I'd probably just throw it away, to be honest." Rose watched the cameras flash as they reached their destination. "What would they want you for anyway?"

"I hate to say it, but Mickey was right. Over the years I've visited this planet a lot of times," He grimaced, "and I've been, er, noticed. Looks like they're gaining alien experts. Who's the Prime Minister anyway?"

"How should I know? I missed a year, thanks to your dodgy driving."

"I'd like to see you drive." He challenged.

"I bet I'd do a better job than you."

"Such cheek."

0o0o0o0o0

Rose cast a cursory look around the main hall; there was certainly a lot of wooden panels. Dingy portraits lined the hallways of people she assumed were important but didn't care about in the slightest. They were almost lost in a sea of people clutching their IDs. She inhaled, _ah the smell of politics: lies and desperation._

"Here's your ID card." A man stopped the Doctor offering him the card. He turned to scrutinize her. "I'm sorry; your companion doesn't have clearance."

The Doctor frowned, pulling her towards him. It was almost amusing how much he seemed to manoeuvre her around without thinking as if she were an additional limb of his. "I don't go anywhere without her." He stated firmly.

The man looked apologetic; he tugged on his tie anxiously. "You're the code nine, not her. I'm sorry. Doctor. It is the Doctor, isn't it? She'll have to stay outside."

"She's staying with me." His clear blue eyes silently conveyed the echoes of his previous promise. Hs refusal to abandon her.

"Look." The man began frustratedly. "Even I don't have clearance to go in there. I can't let her in and that's a fact."

"It's all right," Rose reassured. "You go." It's not like she would turn into a hopeless mess if he wasn't holding her hand every five minutes. She just didn't like the idea of him leaving the planet without her.

A woman wearing a light suit approached, her movements were quick and decisive. "Excuse me. Are you the Doctor?"

"Sure." He responded, giving her a curious glance.

"Not now." Whined ID card man. "We're busy. Can't you go home?"

"Don't get in any trouble." The Doctor warned her.

"The same to you," Rose replied. She watched him leave. His movements were leisurely. It always surprised her how easily he fit into any setting, completely undeterred.

"I'm going to have to leave you with security." Harassed ID man decided.

"It's all right. I'll look after her." Offered the woman in the suit. "Let me be of some use." She latched on to Rose's arm tightly. "Walk with me. Just keep walking." She lowered her voice. They continued through the entrance hall, Rose's curiosity was piqued. This woman clearly didn't want to be overheard. "That's right. Don't look round." _On the other hand, she could be taking me somewhere secluded to murder me._

They were now stood outside of the cabinet room which surprisingly had no security. The woman took out a card of her own. "Harriet Jones, MP Flydale North."

Rose gave her a questioning look.

Harriet's eyes darted around, making sure they were truly alone. "This friend of yours, he's an expert, is that right? He knows about aliens?"

"I would assume that the majority of people here today possess some knowledge in that area." She responded cagily.

Harriet clutched on to her, "Please, I need your help." Her shoulders started to shake as tears formed, silently slipping down her cheeks.

0o0o0o0o0

 _Well, I wasn't expecting this._

Before her stood an elaborate wardrobe. It was thrown wide open. What appeared to be a body seemed to have fallen out of it. Except it was too limp. Too flat, as if all of the innards had been scooped out.

"They turned the body into a suit. A disguise for the thing inside!" Cried, Harriet.

"I can't help but wonder how long it took to do that to a body. Is that a zip on the forehead?" She exclaimed, poking at the body. Harriet seemed to make a retching sound behind her. "Weird, even if the skin is fully intact you'd think it would be mottled by now." With one last prod, she stood back up, "There must be some sort of technology involved in preserving the body."

Harriet gave her a glassy-eyed stare. "You're treating it like you see things like that every day."

Rose shook her head, "No, I'm quite the amateur. Barely know a thing. We should have a look around." A perverse part of her was curious about how these creatures could make a suit of skin; it almost overrode her own disgust. Almost.

Rose rummaged through other cupboards. There was no obvious sign of alien technology. Although she had her doubts about whether she would even recognise alien technology. She yelped as something heavy fell out of one cupboard on to her. A body. _Wonderful._

She was eager to shove it away. She blinked, recognising his face. "Is that..?"

A familiar face burst into the room. _ID man now is really not the time._

"Harriet, for God's sake. This has gone beyond a joke. You cannot just wander…" He trailed off noticing the body between the two women. "Oh, my God. That's the Prime Minister!"

Harriet was noticeably trembling next to her. Rose attempted to pat her awkwardly. _What is the protocol for discovering a dead body with a stranger? A hug, verbal reassurance?_

Once again the door creaked open; _seriously, we need to lock that door._

"Oh! Has someone been naughty?"

Rose's nose wrinkled. A pudgy woman with short blonde hair smirked at them from the doorway. This clearly was not her day, not only did she have to explain the existence of aliens to her mother and her absence to her long-suffering boyfriend, but also her involvement with not one but two dead bodies.

ID card man was blustering to himself, pointing down at the corpse and back up at the blonde lady. "That's impossible. He left this afternoon. The Prime Minister left Downing Street. He was driven away!"

Rose caught the sadistic tilt of her smile, the dark amusement behind her eyes. Instantly she knew they were in danger. Slowly she pulled Harriet back, her eyes scanning the room for any other exits.

"And who told you that, hmm?" Blondie simpered. "Me." One hand rose to her forehead, revealing a zip. Eerie blue light poured out of the new orifice, it bled across the room, and a strange grating sound accompanied it.

 _Yeah. It really isn't my day._


	6. World War Three: Not Quite Blonde Aliens

Smug, plump and almost definitely monstrous started to peel away her skin. Rose tried to pretend that her panic struck mind hadn't immediately jumped to Scooby Doo villains at the sight. Its skin looked moist and fairly reminiscent of pea soup in colour. The remains of the human skin suit hung around its hips like a grotesque jacket. _Lovely._ She was regarded with large black eyes which blinked sideways, causing Rose to blink in turn becoming some twisted not quite staring match whilst Rose and the alien took it in turns to blink at one another. Harriet's whimpers were all but forgotten.

Their impromptu blinking match was rudely interrupted when formerly blonde and menacing started to convulse, electrical charge sparking everywhere. Taking this as her cue to run she grabbed Harriet's hand and started to leg it out of the room. If there was one talent the Doctor had managed to instill it was when all else fails, run like hell.

Harriet's wrist started to twist within her grasp. "No, wait. They're still in there. The emergency protocols. We need them." She pointed to the room behind them.

"You're only mentioning this now!" Rose hissed back. With a growl, she dragged Harriet back like a rag-doll.

She cast a look back at the alien. It had apparently finished convulsing. _This is gonna be fun._ Darting through the corridor she sought out a distraction. Low and behold the lift door on the right slid open just as green and ugly was gaining on them.

Of course, it was the Doctor. He waved mockingly from inside the lift. "Hello there." She rose an eyebrow and pulled Harriet away from the lift as the formerly blonde alien began to smash it's _her?_ Fists into the closing door. They entered what appeared to be a sitting room, there were few places to hide but she recommended it to her companion anyway. There was a pair of long curtains that would do as well as a screen. She wondered what had happened to ID man, they had left the room quickly, Rose had only grabbed Harriet because she seemed the most competent of the pair, _slightly._ It wasn't her problem, not her responsibility to look out for everyone. She frowned at how cold that sounded in her head. Of course, she was concerned, there was just a lot going on.

A raspy feminine voice called out from the doorway. "Oh, such fun. Little human children, where are you? Sweet little humeykins, come to me. Let me kiss you better. Kiss you with my big, green lips." _Yes, because that is a desirable course of action._ Rose winced and quickly darted to the curtain, the cabinet was too close to the door, she would be discovered soon.

She could hear more than one set of footprints in the room. She tried to breathe in quietly and hold her breath. Whatever was hunting her seemed like they had a lot of practice.

"My brothers." Trilled the former/once blonde.

"Happy hunting?" Inquired a deeper voice.

"It's wonderful. The more you prolong it, the more they stink." Mildly offended Rose sniffed at her shirt failing to detect any strong discernible scent.

"Sweat and fear." Chimed in another voice. _Yeah, real tasty._

Rose's heart hammered in her chest, she could only hope that advanced olfactory senses were their only superior sense and not super hearing. "I can smell an old girl. Stale bird and brittle bones."

The female decided to join in, "Mmh, and a young one, all hormones and adrenaline." She paused for a moment. "There's an underlying scent, something rich and complicated. Older than she looks." Rose tried not to be weirded out by the alien; she was practically describing her as if she was a particularly obscure wine vintage. She could hear the footsteps drawing closer, the curtain was pulled back sharply, the rail screeching shrilly.

Rose flinched back from the protruding claws and enormous obsidian eyes. "No! Take me first! Take me!" A voice shrieked from across the room. Rose was impressed; she didn't think the frail-looking women had it in her. She quickly slipped past the curtains making for the door.

A familiar leather-clad figure burst in wielding a fire extinguisher as if it were a weapon of mass destruction. He released the contents all over the nearest alien. "Out, with me!" He commanded. Harriet edged around the room cautiously, blind relief painted across her face. The Doctor gave her a quizzical look. "Who's she?"

Immediately the older women reached for her ID, "Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North." She was like one of those dolls with a big squishy button in the middle that when you press it repeats the same sentence over and over.

The Doctor glanced at her, "Always with the strays." She shrugged at him. He shook the extinguisher, smiling sheepishly indicating it was now empty. With a sigh, Rose followed both the Doctor and Harriet Jones into the corridor.

"We need to head to the Cabinet Room." The Doctor decided Harriet nodded in agreement.

"The Emergency Protocols are in there. They give instructions for aliens."

He seemed more impressed than his original assessment of her, "Harriet Jones, I like you."

She blushed, "And I like you too."

Rolling her eyes Rose shoved the Doctor out of the door, "More running less flirting." He spluttered indignantly at her accusation.

0o0o0o0o

After a lot of bickering and some close calls with long reaching claws and brick walls, they all managed to reach the cabinet room. The Doctor swiped a decanter from a small side table and made for the doorway. With one hand braced on the doorway, he waved the decanter dangerously close to one of the aliens who couldn't quite bring themselves to enter the room. There was something powerfully confident in the way that the Doctor held himself, it seemed laughable that any being could question him.

"One more move and my sonic device will triplicate the flammability of this alcohol. Woof, we all go up. So back off." He shook the decanter menacingly causing the two closest to the front to skitter backward. The larger one cuffed them on the head disapprovingly.

It was only on closer inspection that Rose picked up how weary the man looked. The creases around his eyes were more pronounced. There was something hardened in the way he stared the aliens down. Rose could only speculate that he'd witnessed something horrible that the aliens were responsible for. Probably murder, which normally warranted the same icy fury. Not that Rose knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of one of those looks, nor did she ever want to.

"Right then. Question time. Who exactly are the Slitheen?" He asked.

"They're aliens." Harriet murmured from behind.

"Yes. I got that, thanks." The Doctor responded sarcastically.

One of the Slitheen tilted its head, analyzing the Doctor cautiously. "Who are you, if not human?"

"Who's not human?" Harriet asked.

Rose jerked her head in the Doctor's direction, receiving a strangled noise in response. "What do you mean he's not human?"

The Doctor sighed angrily, "Whilst this is all fascinating I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"Sorry." Harriet stared down at her shoes before frowning her mouth opened about to ask another question. Rose shook her head silently.

"So, what's the plan?" He continued.

"But he's got a Northern accent." Harriet burst out.

"Lots of planets have a north." Rose couldn't help but parrot.

This time the Doctor glared at her too, to which she smirked, temporarily forgetting the imminent danger through the doorway. One of the Slitheen cleared their throat noisily as if they were offended over being ignored.

"You've got a spaceship hidden in the North Sea. It's transmitting a signal. You've murdered your way to the top of government. What for, invasion?"

The Slitheen on the right snorted loudly. "Why would we invade this God-forsaken rock?"

"Fashion advice?" Rose quipped, amused by their outraged protests.

With a long-suffering look, the Doctor once again attempted to drag common sense back into the conversation. "Then something's brought the Slitheen race here. What is it?"

"The Slitheen race?" He sniggered.

His friend replied. "Slitheen is not our species. Slitheen is our surname. Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day-Slitheen at your service."

"So, you're family." The Doctor nodded, gears already turning away in his head.

"A family business." One Slitheen added.

The Doctor shifted his body so he was ever so slightly in front of Rose, he didn't like the way the Slitheen were eyeing her. "Then you're out to make a profit. How can you do that on a _God-forsaken rock_?" He threw their own phrase back at the jeeringly.

The Slitheen on the left was blinking eerily at the decanter. Not that Rose was an expert in Slitheen facial expression recognition but she assumed from the intent staring that the Slitheen had become a tad suspicious. "Ah, excuse me? Your device will do what? Triplicate the flammability?" A note of disbelief in the alien's voice.

The Doctor paused, shoulders stiffening. "Is that what I said?"

"You're making it up." One of them crowed triumphantly raising an enormous clawed hand.

The Doctor shrugged. "Ah, well! Nice try." He tossed the decanter behind him without looking. " Harriet, have a drink. I think you're gonna need it." Harriet scrabbled for the decanter.

"You pass it to the left first. " She protested. The Doctor's attention shifted away as Harriet handed her the decanter. Rose took a swig grimacing at the bitterness. _Possibly the end of the world but at least the British of their priorities in check._

"Now we can end this hunt with a slaughter." One Slitheen proclaimed Rose suspected it was the formerly blonde one. She had been watching her like a rabid dog.

"If you have a plan, now would be the time to share it," Rose stated. The Doctor squeezed her arm reassuringly.

"Fascinating history, Downing Street." He began. "Two thousand years ago, this was marshland. 1730, it was occupied by a Mister Chicken. He was a nice man. 1796, this was the Cabinet Room. If the Cabinet's in session and in danger, these are about the four most safest walls in the whole of Great Britain. End of lesson." He reached for a small panel near the door revealing a button. Upon pressing it metal shutters crashed down sealing the room off swiftly. The Doctor appeared rather pleased with himself, knocking on the metal plating; "Installed in 1991. Three inches of steel lining every single wall. They'll never get in."

Rose pursed her lips, regarding the now sealed off windows. "One question, how exactly do we get out?"

He paused, confusion briefly clouding his face. "Ah."

0o0o0o0o

Upon exploring the room they found not only the deceased former Prime Minister but ID man as well. Rose wondered how long he's managed to last by himself and felt a flicker of guilt. _Maybe if I insisted he went with us he'd still be alive._

"What was his name?" The Doctor asked quietly.

Harriet frowned, "Who?"

He gestured to the corpse, "This one. The secretary or whatever he was called."

"I don't know. I talked to him. I brought him a cup of coffee. I never asked his name."

Rose made a soft humming sound as she waved her hand at the body of the Prime Minister. "Why not use this one as a disguise?"

The Doctor shook his head, "He's too slim. They're big old beasts. They need to fit inside big humans."

"Slitheen are massive. If they can squeeze all of that into a fat human you'd think they could fit inside a slimmer one."

The Doctor walked across the room to the large oak table, "The device around their necks is a compression field. It has limited capabilities." He tapped on the table, "That's why there's all that gas. It's a big exchange."

Harriet was shadowing the pensive Timelord, all things considered, Rose thought she was handling the situation rather well. Better than she had. Although she supposed Harriet Jones probably didn't need therapy for dreaming up this nightmare before it happened.

"Harriet Jones." The Doctor muttered. "I've heard that name before. Harriet Jones. You're not famous for anything, are you?"

She gave a self-depreciative snort. "Oh, hardly."

"Rings a bell. Harriet Jones?"

Truth be told Rose found the name fairly familiar as well. Back when she was a gawky thirteen year old with braces she had had a brief interest in politics which carried on from a childhood fixation. Her mother had indulged her when she insisted she wanted to read the _grown-up papers_. Not that it came to anything. _Bloody Jimmy Stone._

"Lifelong backbencher I'm afraid, and a fat lot of use I'm being now. The Protocols are redundant. They list the people who could help and they're all dead downstairs." Harriet replied morosely.

Rose pulled one of the chairs out; she rested her chin in her palm. She could feel another headache brewing. "Don't the protocols have defence codes?" Her head felt hazy for a moment as the wracked her brains for a solution. Any solution. "What about Torchwood?"

Harriet tilted her head curiously. "Torch-what?" Rose didn't miss the way that the Doctor's eyebrows furrowed.

Rose shook her head. _What the hell is Torchwood? Where did I get that from?_ "Never mind, ignore me."

Harriet continued to watch her before contributing. "You may have been on to something with the defence codes. That would certainly do the trick. However, the release code for nuclear strikes is in the hands of the UN."

"Say that again." The Doctor said. Rose noted the change in volume.

Harriet tugged at the edges of her suit jacket absentmindedly. "What, about the codes?"

"Anything. All of it."

Harriet continued to babble about the release codes but Rose was no longer paying attention. Instead, her mind was focused on their opponent. _Slitheen._ Did that ring a bell? Rose wasn't certain. The whole wide-eyed blinking whilst unnerving did seem familiar. Rose couldn't remember if she had ever drawn one before in her journal. It did cross her mind that maybe she shouldn't put too much faith in her drawings and hazy recollections of questionable origin. Even still, there had to be something there. Her hand went to her pocket tracing the spirals and curves of her fob watch.

A loud buzzing sound from her pockets broke her concentration. "Oh, that's me."

Harriet walked around so she hovered over her chair. It sent tingles down Rose's spine. She hated people looming over her. "But we're sealed off. How did you get a signal?"

Rose smiled. "He zapped it. Superphone."

"Then we can phone for help. You must have contacts."

The Doctor sighed irritably, "Dead downstairs, yeah."

Rose scowled when she read the caller ID. "It's Mickey." _We really don't have time for this._

"Oh, tell your stupid boyfriend we're busy." He crossed his arms angrily. A reddish flush rose from the back of his neck. _I wonder why he's so hostile about Mickey?_

"Huh, looks like he has a situation of his own." She raised the phone to show a grainy image of a Slitheen. She answered the phone. Only to be met with Mickey's high pitched screeching. Rose wrenched the phone from her ear and placed it on the table on speaker.

"No, no, no, no, no. Not just alien, but like, proper alien. All stinking, and wet, and disgusting. And more to the point, it wanted to kill us!" He wailed.

"I could've died." Another familiar voice added. _Wonderful, Mum's there too._

"Is that Ricky? Don't talk, just shut up and go to your computer." The Doctor demanded.

"It's Mickey, and why should I?"

"Perhaps antagonizing him isn't the best course of action," Rose suggested, the Doctor rolled his eyes at her.

"Mickey the Idiot, I might just choke before I finish this sentence, but," He hesitated. "Er, I need you." Rose snickered quietly at the vaguely constipated expression he was wearing.

0o0o0o0o

After having coaxed Mickey with various platitudes he had finally begun to hack the UNIT website. "It wants a password." He called out.

The Doctor moved to sit in the seat next to Rose, closer to the phone on the table plugging it into the conference room's main speaker. "Try Buffalo. Two Fs One L."

"I know how to spell buffalo, thanks." He responded sarcastically.

Harriet was playing with the top of the decanter, unwilling to sit down with them.

"So, what's that website?" Her mother asked.

"All the secret information known to mankind. See, they've known about aliens for years." A hint of pride coloured Mickey's voice. "They just kept us in the dark."

"Mickey, you were born in the dark."

"That seems to be the general consensus for all humans." Rose agreed, only to be met with another of those weirdly probing looks. She didn't like the oddly knowing expression that crossed the Doctor's face from time to time as if she were a puzzle he was trying to fit together.

The Doctor slapped the table loudly. He had a penchant for dramatics. " Big Ben - why did the Slitheen go and hit Big Ben?"

"You said to gather the experts, to kill them," Harriet suggested.

He shook his head. "That lot would've gathered for a weather balloon. You don't need to crash land in the middle of London."

"The Slitheen introduced aliens to the world but they themselves are in hiding. Given their whole operation, they've been here, planning this for a while. Why alert the world to the presence of aliens, to begin with?" Rose pondered.

"Oh, listen to her." Her mother complained.

"I don't see you helping." The Doctor defended her.

"Well, I've got a question, if you don't mind." Rose inwardly winced at the self-righteous tone of voice. "Since that man walked into our lives, I have been attacked in the streets. I have had creatures from the pits of hell in my own living room, and my daughter disappears off the face of the Earth."

"The Doctor is only responsible for one of those." Rose groaned.

"I'm talking to him. Cos I've seen this life of yours, Doctor. And maybe you get off on it, and maybe you think it's all clever and smart, but you tell me." Her mother took a deep breath, "Just answer me this. Is my daughter safe?"

"I'm fine Mum, really."

"Is she safe?" She repeated. "Will she always be safe? Can you promise me that?" She was met with silence on the other end. The Doctor had closed his eyes, a pained look stretched across his face, unwilling to respond. "Well, what's the answer?"

The uneasy silence was broken by Mickey, bless him. "I'm in." Rose's skin was beginning to crawl the overprotective affection pouring off of her desperate mother made her pulse quicken and her chest squeeze painfully. Displays of motherly affection always seemed strangely incongruent and yet her mother was always willing to be demonstrative.

"Now then, on the left at the top, there's a tab, an icon. Little concentric circles. Click on that." The Doctor pressed on as if he hadn't just ignored her mother's begging.

The Doctor picked up the phone and began to analyse whatever Mickey had sent him. "It's some sort of message." He fiddled with the phone some more. "It's on a loop, keeps repeating."

There was a ringing noise in the background, like a doorbell. "That's not me. Go and see who that is." She heard Mickey instruct her mother in the background.

"It's beaming out into space, who's it for?" The Doctor murmured.

Rose jumped when her mother started shrieking into the phone, "It's him! It's the thing, it's the Slipeen!"

"They've found us." Mickey's voice cracked.

She watched the Doctor's jaw tighten. "Mickey, I need that signal."

Rose bit her lip. She wanted to tell her mother to get out of there but getting the signal was more important in the long run. _Since when did aliens become more important than your own family?_ Part of Rose whispered chidingly. "They need a way to fight it off!" She turned to the Doctor imploringly.

As if pulling himself from a stupor the Doctor jumped to his feet and began to pace, "If we're going to find their weakness, we need to find out where they're from." He seemed to be talking to himself more than anyone else in the room. "So, judging by their basic shape, that narrows it down to five thousand planets within travelling distance. What else do we know about them?" He suddenly spun around to face them. "Information!" He demanded, causing Harriet to jump.

"They blink sideways."

"Yep, narrows it down." He responded

"Good sense of smell." She added.

"Narrows it down."

"I think they can smell adrenaline."

"Narrows it down." He continued.

"The pig technology," Harriet added

Rose's hand clenched around her watch, "The spaceship in the Thames, you said slipstream engine? "

"Narrows it down." Rose began to wonder whether he was going to contribute anything else to the conversation.

"It's getting in!" Mickey cried out.

"They hunt like it's a ritual."

"Narrows it down."

"Wait a minute." Harriet raised her hands. "Wait a minute. Did you notice? When they fart, if you'll pardon the word, it doesn't just smell like a fart, if you'll pardon the word, it's something else. What is it? It's more like, er."

"Bad breath." Rose didn't like the way the Doctor beamed at Harriet, her lip curled involuntarily.

"Calcium decay! Now, that narrows it down!" The Doctor shouted excitedly.

Rose found it deeply concerning that she was more worried about being one-upped by Harriet Jones in front of the Doctor than her mother and boyfriend being in danger. She didn't like looking inferior. Clenching her watch tightly in her hand she forcefully sought out any hint of a memory regarding the Slitheen. She was starting to feel dizzy from concentrating so hard, it was a good job she was still seated.

"Calcium phosphate. Organic calcium. Living calcium. Creatures made out of living calcium." The Doctor babbled, crossing the room to stand in front of her. "What else? What else? Hyphenated surname. Yes! That narrows it down to one planet."

There was this glow at the edge of Rose's awareness, slightly out of reach, brilliant and golden. Her eyes were screwed shut as she pressed forward. She made contact. A single word resonated through her head. _Raxacoricofallapatorius._

"Raxacoricofallapatorius."

There seemed to be an echo. Rose opened her eyes. The Doctor was staring at her blatantly, mouth slightly open in amazement. "How did you…"

"Oh, yeah, great. We could write 'em a letter." Mickey called out, determined not to be forgotten.

It was only then that Rose realized that she had spoken out loud. The Doctor was still staring at her, his attention unwillingly drawn away by Mickey. "Get into the kitchen." He replied softly. There was something questioning in his eyes. Rose couldn't begin to know the answers or even what questions he was silently asking.

Clearing his throat he managed to tear his eyes away from her. "Calcium, weakened by the compression field. Acetic acid. Vinegar!"

"Just like Hannibal!" Harriet exclaimed.

The Doctor shot the woman a small smile, "Just like Hannibal. Mickey, have you got any vinegar?"

Rose was utterly lost. She decided they probably weren't discussing Hannibal Lecter the cannibal.

"How should I know?" Mickey shouted back in frustration.

"It's your kitchen."

"Gherkins. Yeah, pickled onions. Pickled eggs." Her mother chanted as she presumably added all of the items together.

"And you kiss this man?" The tone of levity in his voice didn't match the deeply contemplative look on the Doctor's face as he continued to shoot quizzical looks at her.

There was a loud, drawn-out sound. Rose could only speculate what state the Slitheen was in. This was followed by a moist sloshing noise. Rose cringed. "Hannibal?" She asked eventually.

"Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar," Harriet responded, she appeared quite shell-shocked herself.

"Oh. Well, there you go then." Rose held out the decanter to Harriet who gratefully accepted it.

0o0o0o0o0

"Listen to this." Came Mickey's voice after a moment, he brought the phone over to the TV showing a news report. A familiar Slitheen was splashed across the screen in his human skin.

" **Our inspectors have searched the sky above our heads and they have found massive weapons of destruction capable of being deployed within forty-five seconds."**

"What?" The Doctor hissed.

" **Our technicians can baffle the alien probes, but not for long we are facing extinction unless we strike first. The United Kingdom stands directly beneath the belly of the mothership. I beg of the United Nations, pass an emergency resolution. Give us the access codes. A nuclear strike at the heart of the beast is our only chance of survival from this moment on it is my solemn duty to inform you planet Earth is at war."**

"He's making it up." The Doctor looked disgusted. "There's no weapon up there, there's no threat. He just invented it." He gestured to the ceiling.

"Do you think they'll believe him?" Harriet asked tentatively.

"They did last time." Rose's faith in the human race was dwindling rapidly.

"That's why the Slitheen went for spectacle." The Doctor decided. "They want the whole world panicking, because you lot, you get scared, you lash out."

"They release the defence code." Rose finished.

"And the Slitheen go nuclear."

"But why?" Harriet whispered.

The Doctor strode over to the doorway and released the metal shutters. They were immediately greeted by the Slitheen, clad in their flesh-suits.

"You get the codes, release the missiles, but not into space because there's nothing there. You attack every other country on Earth. They retaliate, fight back. World War Three. The whole planet gets nuked." He clapped his hands together on the last word in emphasis.

"And we can sit through it safe in our spaceship waiting in the Thames. Not crashed, just parked. Only two minutes away." Trilled the fake blonde Slitheen.

Harriet had shakily made her way to the doorway with a determined look on her face. "But you'll destroy the planet, this beautiful place. What for?"

"Profit." The Doctor spat. "That's what the signal is beaming into space. An advert."

"The sale of the century." She chuckled. "We reduce the Earth to molten slag, then sell it piece by piece. Radioactive chucks, capable of powering every cut-price starliner and budget cargo ship. There's a recession out there, Doctor. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel."

"At the cost of five billion lives." The Timelord looked lost as if unable to comprehend making such a decision.

"Bargain." She smirked.

The Doctor seemed larger, it was the way he held himself, full of fury. It was like watching a storm gather slowly. Rose almost pitied the Slitheen. "I'll give you a choice. Leave this planet or I'll stop you."

"What, you? Trapped in your box?" The blonde Slitheen sneered.

"Yes. Me." With that the shutters came down again, cutting off the chortles of laughter on the other side.

0o0o0o0o0

"So, any ideas?" Harriet asked eventually.

The Doctor turned to Rose. "Yes Rose, any ideas?"

Rose blinked. He looked almost accusing. "How should I know?"

A dark look passed over his face, "You seem to mysteriously know a lot of things."

Rose picked at her thumbnail, averting her gaze. "If we could get out of here, we could use the defence codes."

The Doctor tilted her chin up, his fingers warm against her skin. "Using the defence codes may be our only choice. There is no avenue of escape."

Rose's breathe came out quickly. It sounded as if he was planning on blowing the place up. Not that Rose was opposed to a bit of destruction now and then but this was really railing against every instinct she had geared towards self-preservation. "What other choice do we have?"

"None at all." He admitted sadly.

"What are you talking about?" Her mother asked insistently. The Doctor released her, Rose rubbed a hand over her face self-consciously.

"He's going to blow up the building. All of the Slitheen have gathered here, it's the best place to strike." Rose responded bluntly.

There was a wail on the other end of the phone. "Don't you dare Doctor. Don't you dare. That's my little girl trapped in there with you. You can't do this."

"That's the thing. If I don't dare, everyone dies." He gazed at Rose sadly. Rose just wished he'd make his mind up whether he wanted to protect her or cast her outside with the Slitheen.

"I trust you." She said firmly. Although her mind screamed in protest that there was no way in hell it would be a good idea to potentially sacrifice her life alongside the Doctor.

That same look of curiosity from earlier crossed his face. It was unnerving how often he stared into her eyes, icy blue delving into her own boring brown eyes. Whatever he was looking for he seemed to find it. "You really do." Something that suspiciously sounded like awe coloured his voice. "You trust me."

"Doctor. Please. She's my daughter. She's just a kid." Her mother pleaded.

He turned to the phone. "Oh Jackie, she's so much more than that. This life is dangerous, I won't pretend it isn't. But what it definitely is is Rose's choice."

"Well, what are you waiting for." Rose tugged at his sleeve, with a weary smile.

"I could save the world but lose you." His hands reached out for her, holding her too tightly. Not tightly enough.

Rose was hit with a wave of vertigo. _Since when was my life on par with the importance of an entire planet?_ If she asked him, she knew that somehow he'd find another way out for them, one that didn't risk her life. One that could leave the planet ablaze behind them. She couldn't quite identify the feeling it left her, something akin to glee perhaps? There was no way that that possibility should make her feel anything close to glee. She shuddered.

"Except it's not your decision, Doctor. It's mine." Declared Harriet.

"And who the hell are you?" Jackie uttered rudely.

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. The only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people for the people. And on behalf of the people, I command you. Do it." She announced it with as much authority as she could muster.

The Doctor continued to instruct Mickey until he found the correct Missile.

"Sub Harpoon, UGM-A4A."

"That's the one. Select." The Doctor encouraged.

"I could stop you," Jackie spoke quietly.

"Do it, then." Rose suspected that Mickey wouldn't be all that opposed to being stopped.

"You ready for this?" The Doctor asked.

"Yeah," Mickey confirmed.

"Mickey the idiot, the world is in your hands." After a long pause. "Fire!"

0o0o0o0

"How solid are these?" Harriet inquired. Gesturing to the metal plating.

"Not solid enough. Built for short range attack, nothing this big."

Rose let out a whistle, "Well, I don't fancy dying today."

"You have a better idea." The Doctor looked skeptical.

Rose wandered over to the cupboards, "During earthquakes, you're supposed to stand under door frames, these seem sturdy enough." She looked back at the Doctor and Harriet. "Or we could just stand around and wait to be hit by a missile."

The Doctor flashed her a bright smile. "Right then, let's get to work."

"It's on radar." Mickey called out.

"Here we go. Nice knowing you both." Harriet dithered outside of the cupboard. "To Hannibal!"

Rose climbed inside a cupboard, the Doctor followed after her. The Door shut tight with a click. It was dark and cramped. The Doctor's back was braced against one of the cupboard walls. He reached out to hold on to her as if shielding her with his body within the cupboard would offer another layer of protection. Rose allowed herself to be maneuvered into another position, her fingers curled into his leather jacket as she concentrated on breathing calmly.

"In Cardiff…" He trailed off.

"In Cardiff." She prompted. His mouth was so close to her ear, his breath tickling her.

"You said you didn't think you were always a good person." Rose's grip on him tightened. "What you're doing now is good; it's brave and probably stupid." He laughed softly. "There are things about you I don't understand. I don't know if I will get a chance to understand them. If I don't get another chance to tell you. I just want you to know, you are a good person Rose."

Rose didn't answer. She couldn't answer. Her tongue felt like lead, her throat was so dry. Warmth bloomed in her chest. She wished it could be that easy, she wished helping people could alleviate that nagging at the back of her mind, urging her to leave everyone for dead and save herself. Maybe she was just a coward at heart. Maybe she could be brave if the Doctor thought she was.

There was a loud splintering sound as ruble ricocheted off the walls. Metal groaned and twisted and the cupboard they were hiding in jerked and toppled over. She crashed into the Doctor who continued to grip her tightly. He whispered assurances into her ear as he held her through the chaos. At long last there was silence.

After a lot of turbulence, they made it out of the remains of Ten Downing Street relatively unscathed. Harriet was marching across the street waving her ID around as if she owned the place. She returned to them face flushed with happiness.

"Oh, Someone's got a hell of a job sorting this lot out. Oh, Lord. We haven't even got a Prime Minister." _Because that's your priority after you come face to face with aliens._

"Maybe you should have a go." The Doctor suggested.

Harriet laughed, "I'm only a back-bencher."

Rose frowned. She supposed that Harriet had proven herself adaptable and capable in a crisis. Although she wasn't sure that Harriet had what it takes to be the Prime Minister, she seemed too straight-laced and willing to follow orders. Rose began to drift off into a daydream. _Now if I was Prime Minister…_

"Still with me?" he Doctor nudged her.

"Mhhm hmm." Rose had just decided that she would cancel Tuesdays, no one likes Tuesdays.

"I thought I knew the name." The points at Harriet who was greeting the crowd, "Harriet Jones, future Prime Minister. Elected for three successive terms. The architect of Britain's Golden Age."

Rose was definitely not jealous. Not one bit.

0o0o0o0o

Her mother was being impossible. After returning Rose to her mother's flat the Doctor had grinned and proclaimed "Rather you than me." And left her in the capable hands of mother dearest. She had been mother-henning relentlessly, bragging to the neighbors about her heroic deeds. She was in fact rather heroic she admits.

Rose was using this opportunity to pack up her belongings as stealthily as possible. Her mother as of yet was in denial about her leaving. She chattered on about dinner and how she grudgingly accepted the Doctor.

"There's no getting rid of him since you're infatuated."

Rose jerked violently, smacking the back of her head against the underside of her bed where she was valiantly attempting to retrieve a stray sock. "I beg your pardon."

Her mother looked at her pityingly. "You have this glow about you, this new determination. Whatever he is to you I don't like it. Last time you ran off with a bloke you ended up battered and penniless."

She gritted her teeth, "He's nothing like Jimmy."

"I didn't say he was." Jackie hugged her tightly. "I'm scared sweetheart. Since that man walked into your life, it's like you've been a different person. I'm worried that all this monster stuff is going to set your nightmares off again. You remember what Dr. Smith said."

"I'm fine." Rose lied. "There haven't been any dreams. I don't need your help"

"If you say so."

Rose's phone started ringing. _Saved by the bell._

"Right, I'll be a couple of hours, and then we can go."

"Thank God." Rose let out a sigh of relief.

The Doctor chuckled, "I take it you haven't changed your mind then."

"Mum's driving me around the bend. I think she wants to invite you to family dinner."

"I'll pass." He responded shortly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." She paused, "I don't think she'll take it well when we leave again. I don't know, maybe I should spend some more time with her."

Rose could hear the soft whirr of the TARDIS on the other end, "You could…or, there's this plasma storm brewing in the Horsehead Nebula. Fires are burning ten million miles wide." He spoke passionately, his words bringing the image to life in her mind. "I could fly the TARDIS right into the heart of it then ride the shock wave all the way out. Hurtle right across the sky and end up anywhere." She could almost hear his teasing smile on the other end of the phone. "Your choice."

"You don't play fair." She scolded. Rose hung up at the sound of his laughter.

0o0o0o0o

She hadn't lasted hours. Her mother was giving her sad beseeching looks. It was hurting both of them. Rose hated herself for telling her Mum that she didn't need her, she had looked so betrayed but there was no way she would let her go if she had offered her false hope of her returning regularly. Rose pretended she couldn't hear her crying as she carted a massive rucksack out of the door.

The Doctor had been surprised by all of her luggage. "Got enough stuff?"

"Hmm, I suppose I could get another suitcase or two." He rolled his eyes. "Last time I stepped in there, it was spur of the moment. Now I'm signing up. You're stuck with me." She poked him in the middle of his chest.

"By all means, don't let me stop you."

Rose turned to find Mickey, hovering around the doorway glaring at the pair of them bitterly. "Mickey, don't be like that."

His face screwed up angrily and his hands clenched into fists. "You're so selfish. Do you have any idea how much you're leaving behind."

"You mean you," Rose remarked. The Doctor looked vaguely panicked at the prospect of a domestic and disappeared into the TARDIS. "You could come too." She offered half-heartedly.

Mickey snorted, "I want things to go back to the way they were. Just come home."

"I can't."

"You mean you don't want to."

"Yes."

Mickey swallowed. "You know, when your Mum was screaming on the phone when we were being attacked not once did you try to reassure her. Too busy saving the world. Too busy with your Doctor being clever."

"It wasn't like that." She protested.

"Yeah, it was. In spite of it all, your absence, plain up forgetting me, well…I still love you." Mickey turned his back on her. "And you still can't say it back."

Rose let him close the door. She let him walk away. After all, she had done the same.

Rose reached for her watch, the weight in her pocket felt reassuring. _I don't need them. Not Mum, not Mickey._ Warmth flooded her mind, it felt like acceptance, agreement. _Great, I'm agreeing with myself. Very sane._ The TARDIS let out a harsh trill, it rang in her head like a warning.

Rose found the Doctor waiting outside of what she had claimed as her room. He was leaning against the door with a conflicted expression on his face. The expression didn't clear when he caught sight of her.

"Ah, Rose. I think it's time we had a chat."


	7. Dalek: Nightmare Pepperpot

"Ah, Rose. I think it's time we had a chat."

 _Retreat!_ Her mind screamed. The Doctor was wearing his pensive expression. He edged closer with his hands palm-up in front of him as if she were a frightened animal.

"What exactly do you want to talk about?" Her voice was aimed at nonchalant but came out higher than she intended it to. Rose clenched her hands into fists in an attempt to abate the shaking. _This is bad, he knows something._ She reached out to the TARDIS, her comforting whirring sound seemed to respond to her distress, bathing her in soothing waves of calm.

The Time Lord's brow furrowed in thought. "I think you know." He watched unease flicker over his companion's face. "Or maybe you don't, not entirely."

"And the award for being cryptic goes to..."

He ignored her attempt at levity, tilting his head towards the door of her room, "Come on."

She followed him cautiously, perching on the end of her new bed whilst he straddled the wicker chair in the corner backwards. _He can't even sit normally._

His eyes narrowed as he took in her unease, "There are things we need to talk about, things I've been avoiding." He paused, "They're little things really, but they all add up to one big picture."

"And what's that?" Rose managed to force out.

"You don't make sense." He pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, "Not a lick of sense. If you look here," He pressed a button and the screwdriver buzzed incessantly in her face, he then read something off of the side, frowning. "Human. Ordinary boring human."

"Thanks." She scoffed, ignoring the itch at the back of her mind.

He rolled his eyes, "Oh I know you're not. For one thing, no human knows the planet Raxacoricofallapitorius off of the top of their head. Not one from your century mind." He rubbed a hand over his forehead in frustration, "I toyed with the idea of you being a time agent, you seemed comfortable with the existence of aliens on Platform One, too comfortable, time travel doesn't phase you."

 _What the hell is a time agent?_

He continued. "But that doesn't seem right either. For one thing, you have a mother. Barmy mind you, but still there are consistent records of you living in this time, you're not from the future otherwise you'd have no family here."

"I'm not from the future or anywhere else. I was born here on Earth I don't..." She trailed off, "I don't know how I knew the Slitheen planet, it's like the information just appeared in my head." She insisted. There was an uncomfortable amount of tension in her chest, a throbbing ache. Her eyes burned with suppressed tears. "Sometimes I know things...things I shouldn't...things that there's no way I could know."

"Like the name of my screwdriver." He prompted thoughtfully.

"Yes." She agreed, "Sometimes it's unconscious, knowing things in a situation I shouldn't. Other times it's like...If I think hard enough about it I can almost find the information." She gave a short laugh, "Hurts my head though."

The Doctor leaned forward to scan her again with his screwdriver. He made thoughtful humming sounds and gently tilted her chin up with one hand. "Hmm, there's no obvious readings but..."

"But?" She answered impatiently. Did he know what was wrong with her? Why was she so different from everyone else?

He regarded her curiously, "You named the planet at the same time that I did. You also named my device when I showed it to you originally. You're able to feel the TARDIS in a way most humans can't and the psychic paper didn't fool you."

Rose was beginning to feel very self-conscious, _just how many things has he taken note of about me?_

"I think you might be a bit telepathic."

Rose blinked, "telepathic, that's it?" It seemed too simple, too simple to encompass the complexity of her problems.

He scratched his head, "It could be that you're picking this information up from me if you don't know the source of it, humans are too limited to feel the TARDIS their senses aren't equipped. Certain telepathic races can."

She bit her lip, "You don't seem very certain about your conclusion."

He sighed, pushing himself out of the chair to pace around, "Like I said, you don't make sense, there are no obvious readings of elevated telepathic energy around you. You register as an ordinary human. You being telepathic would explain some of your uncanny behaviours."

Rose hesitated, if they were having this conversation now then she might as well bring up some of the other holes in his conclusion. "So you think I only know this stuff because I'm what, picking it out of your head?" She waved an arm around, "All of this, I've dreamt about it, so many damn times before I even met you."

The Doctor made a sound of alarm as Rose began to rummage through her rucksack before plucking out her diary. The Doctor accepted it gingerly, giving her a questioning look. When Rose nodded in acceptance he started to flick through. Utter shock plastered his face before a myriad of emotions flickered across his startled visage. He kept flicking back and forth as if he expected if he looked away the images would disappear. He began to mutter names under his breath, familiar ones.

"This...this..." He swallowed, "Isn't possible. You drew this?" When she nodded he reached out to scan her again. Rose swatted his arm away with an annoyed look. "You even drew my TARDIS." He stared into her eyes intently, "This is why certain things haven't surprised you, they were expected." He turned the page again, showing one of her better drawings. A landscape of burnt orange and red sat in a valley beneath large crystal domes. The Doctor's face grew white, the hand gripping the book trembled noticeably. There was something haunted in his eyes as he tore them from the page, closing the diary with a loud snap. "You dreamt of this?"

Rose nodded mutely. _He looks terrified. I have to be careful. If I say the wrong thing he looks like he'll ditch me and flee as fast as he can. Why does that picture disturb him so much? I would have thought one of the more nightmarish creatures would have got him, not a pretty landscape._

"Do you know where this is?" He asked softly. Rose made a sound in negation. "This was my home."

 _Ohh, well that explains that. I guess seeing a picture of his dead planet justifies the shock._

"You said you wanted answers." Rose started, "I don't have any, only questions of my own. I've dreamt of this stuff for years, hell I needed a therapist for some of the crazier stuff, the nightmares were no walk in the park. I don't know how or why it happens, I thought I had the most bizarre imagination until I met you and saw the Police Box. That was quite the wake-up call, to find that all of this." She gestured to her diary, "Is real, was always real. How do I even begin to make peace with that?" Tears glistened wetly in her eyes, this was overwhelming. She had been trying very hard not to think about her inexplicable knowledge. It was easy enough to forget about it, to push her questions away and forget, but something would always inevitably remind her.

The Doctor watched her stiffly for a long moment, he made his way to her bed carefully and pulled her into an awkward one armed hug. "It's okay Rose, we'll figure it out."

"We?" She questioned softly.

"Yeah, we." He gently stroked the back of her head. "You could have told me about the dreams you know. I'm not upset you kept it to yourself. I want to help you."

She made a muffled sound, her face buried in his jacket. Pulling away reluctantly she made fleeting eye contact, "I didn't know how to explain something like this. You were a stranger, a really strange stranger, how was I supposed to tell you I knew about your ship or anything really. And I thought..." She didn't want to continue, not really.

"What did you think?" His hand moved down to pat her shoulder, his hand lingered comfortingly.

"I thought it would freak you out. You seemed pretty private. What if you got upset and asked me to leave?" Her heart pounded in her chest, her other hand, not desperately clutching the Doctor reached into her pocket to run her fingers soothingly over her watch.

"Rose." He said her name deliberately. Half-heartedly she looked up at him, freezing as she became trapped in his gaze. "You're my friend Rose. I'm not leaving you anywhere. I'll keep saying it until you believe me, and believe me, I can be persistent." A reluctant smile crossed Rose's face, "Whatever's going on, we'll figure it out. You're not wrong or broken, there's nothing bad about you despite what you seem to think."

"You don't know that."

He shook his head, "You're brave and stubborn, self-sacrificing and kind and you drive me round the bend. You're smarter than you seem to think, spontaneous knowledge or not. It's not necessarily a bad thing. I've seen a lot in 900 years but I haven't seen everything."

"You're turning terribly sappy." Rose managed, she felt comforted that whatever this was, she wasn't alone. Her dick of a therapist may have abandoned her but she had the Doctor. Even if he didn't have answers it didn't matter, she's lived without answers all of her life. Her dreams had seemed to be connected to the Doctor, if there was any chance of understanding them it would be with him by her side.

He poked her, "I'm trying to be nice. And this is the thanks I get. Honestly." The mock offense was replaced by a smile. "What are you dreams like, when you see those things?"

Rose paused, "Everything is more vivid, surreal. I experience everything in first person as if those creatures are in front of me."

"And the...the planet?"

The Doctor deliberately avoided naming it, Rose could guess easily enough which image he referred to. She dreamt of that one quite often, laying in the burnt grass, listening to the mountains sing. Images flickered to life in her mind, a young boy lying next to her laughing together carefree. As Rose focused on it, her thumb traced the spirals of the watch. She opened her mouth to tell the Doctor. The image abruptly vanished from her mind. A dull thudding pounded in her ears. _Da da day dum,_ It was too difficult to concentrate, to think about the planet, little details slipped from her mind. Rose screwed up her face in concentration, unable to remember what she was just thinking about.

"I don't really remember." She gave him an apologetic look seeing the disappointment on the Doctor's face.

He pasted a smile on his face, "That's alright, who wants to think about something boring like that. Better things to see and do."

0o0o0o0o0o

After a particularly bumpy landing, Rose staggered out of the TARDIS. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the array of display cabinets. The room was reminiscent of a museum, in spite of the chilling fact it appeared completely empty. Lights glared down harshly illuminating the obscure artefacts.

"Why exactly are we here again?"

The Doctor bounded out eagerly, "Told you Rose, kind of signal, a distress call I reckon."

Rose gave him an unimpressed look. "What could be so distressing in a museum? Maybe it's the cleaning."

He shot her a quizzical look, "The what?"

"Cleaning." She repeated firmly, "This must be hell to maintain, going by the size of this room alone." She glanced around the room, they were too far down in the building for there to be windows, instead, there was an array of lights blaring too brightly over a number of glass display cases. "Where and when are we anyway?

"Still on Earth," he responded, "Utah, North America. About half a mile underground. It's two thousand and twelve."

"Huh, I bet there are so many future seasons of TV shows out right now."

The Doctor shook his head and mumbled something she assumed to be derogatory about mankind.

"This place really is massive, whoever built this place must have been loaded."

The Doctor stalked over to one of the nearest cases, squinting at it with a thoughtful expression. "Chunks of meteorite, moon dust. That's the milometer from the Roswell spaceship." He gestured looking slightly impressed.

Rose moved closer noticing a familiarly grotesque limb, "Oh lovely, someone's collecting alien body parts. That's just what I needed to see after averting world war three." Her friend followed her gaze to the Slitheen arm. In all honesty seeing it made her uncomfortable, more so due to its association with 'The Conversation' than because of the family's transgressions against Earth.

"Oh, look at you." He said suddenly.

"Hmm?" A disembodied metal head sat in the case. There were grooves near its eyes reminiscent of tears, a large handle spanned the top of its head. There was something quite sinister about it Rose thought. _Then again, keeping a collection of dead things seems a sinister hobby in itself...extreme extraterrestrial taxidermy._

 _"_ An old friend of mine. Well, an enemy." He clarified. "The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit." He sighed. "I'm getting old."

"It is dead right?" Rose inquired, "Lasers aren't going to start firing from its sockets?"

The Doctor chuckled, "Nope, this one's dead. Never, known one to do that either...wouldn't put it past them to learn to. In any case, the signal isn't from here." He placed a hand on the glass seeming melancholy. All of a sudden an alarm started to screech angrily, thundering footsteps surrounded them as personnel in military uniform arrived at an alarmingly fast rate. "Well, of the two of us, you're more likely to end up on display than me."

"Thank you for your words of comfort." He mocked.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Rose slumped her chin on the table. _That nutter Van Statten has been rambling about his collection for ages_. She glanced at him, receding hairline and an ugly moustache. _A sight to strike terror into the hearts of anyone._ He'd postured a bit and made threats, concerned with their easy access to his secret museum.

Then there was his eager helper the teen genius, showing off bits and pieces of space junk, whilst boasting of his intellect. Truly a terrible pair.

"You know, this is a museum. You'd think you'd be a bit more excited to receive guests in this dingy hell hole." The Doctor interjected, ignoring Van Stattens' blustering.

"The question is, how did you get in? Fifty-three floors down, with your little cat burglar accomplice. You're quite a collector yourself, she's rather pretty." He suddenly leered at here. Rose was not amused.

" _She_ isn't part of anyone's collection. Thank you for asking."

"She's English too!" Ugly corporate villain chimed, "Hey, little Lord Fauntleroy. Got you a girlfriend."

 _I think the fuck not._

"Did you know, Mister Van Statten owns the internet." Piped up the assistant. _Alan? Aston?_

"Good for him. The proud owner of memes and cat videos." Rose rolled her eyes. The Doctor gave her a chiding look as if to say 'behave'.

"Moving on." The Doctor cleared his throat. "So you're just about an expert in everything except the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up. Keep it on display.

"And you claim greater knowledge" Challenged Van Statten.

"I don't need to make claims, I know how good I am." He boasted in reply, to Rose's amusement.

"And yet, I captured you." Van Statten sneered, "Right next to the Cage. What were you doing down there?"

"You know, thought we'd have a picnic. Make a day of it."

"The cage contains my one living specimen." Seemingly ignoring the Time lord's retort.

"And what's that?" His interest was piqued."

"Like you don't know."

"Show me."

"You want to see it?"

"Stop flirting, and just get on with it why don't you." Rose interrupted, tired of their posturing. Archie-Andrew-whatever laughed too loudly and winked at her to her disgust.

"Goddard, inform the Cage we're heading down." He turned to smirk at her. "You, English. You stay and play with Adam. Go and canoodle or spoon or whatever it is you British do. And you, Doctor with no name, come and see my pet.

 _Right, Adam._

0o0o0o0o0o0

Rose fiddled with her pocket watch chain absent-mindedly, letting the chain links weave between her fingers.

"Sorry about the mess. Mister Van Statten sort of lets me do my own thing, so long as I deliver the goods." Adam held up a lump of metal. "What do you think that is?"

"Oh, that's a sex toy from the planet Mfaltov." Rose declared, with as much confidence as she could muster.

Disgust flashed across Adam's face as he immediately dropped it on the floor. "Really? Gross."

 _Idiot._

Adam ran his fingers through his hair nervously, his eyes linger on her mouth as he took the seat closest to her. "You know this job really is amazing. Everything the United Nations tries to keep quiet, spacecraft, aliens, visitors to Earth. They really exist. And I get to be a part of it." He declared proudly. "Navigation systems, weapons, bodies. We see it all."

"And the sex toys." She added.

"Yeah, that too." He wrinkled his nose. "You're messing with me right"

Rose smiled innocently. "Am I?"

Adam gazed off into the distance. "I'd give anything to see it first hand, travel amongst the stars...that would be my dream."

"Soo, how did you end up working here, Ashton?"

"It's Adam." He corrected, straightening his shirt and brushing away imaginary dust. "Van Statten has agents all over the world looking for geniuses to recruit."

"And that would be you?"

"Yep, Sorry. I can't help it. I was born clever. When I was eight, I logged onto the US Defence System. Nearly caused World War Three." He shrugged pretending to be bashful

"Uh huh. I guess they should choose a better password than an animal for their nuke codes."

His brown eyes went wide with shock. "You know about the defence codes too?"

"I know many things." She stated mysteriously. _Take that, you pretentious douche._ "Anyhow, I take it you know plenty of interesting things too, like what Van Statten keeps in that cage of his."

"I guess." He responded hesitantly.

Rose smiled sweetly, toying with her watch chain. "Since we're both so smart, don't you think we'd have a lot more fun downstairs. It's not like we're naive idiots that can't handle the truth."

He puffed out his chest, "I mean...it wouldn't be hard to get in there if that's what you want. I'm more than capable." He moved over to fiddle with the comm system.

Rose peered at the screen. Her blood ran cold. A familiar pepper pot shaped creature sat in the dark. Its metal plates were tarnished, its eyepiece a dull blue pointing downwards. Rose could feel her shoulders shaking. She remembered drawing that, she remembered the nightmares, dreams of being executed by a creature so full of hate.

 _You've never seen it before in your life. It's chained up. It can't hurt you. You have to face your fears_ A man in a decontamination suit and large rubber gloves, shoved a large drill into the metalwork. A shrill scream pierced her ears.

"It's kind of useless," Adam commented, completely ignorant of the mental turmoil Rose was experiencing.

"I want to see it."

0o0o0o0o0

"Don't get too close." Adam cautioned.

Rose approached the creature hesitantly. From what little she could remember from her dreams this being was indeed dangerous. As she stepped closer the pounding in her head increased, her vision blurred as she took in a shaky breath. _Da da day dum..._

Intense anger welled up inside her, just looking at it filled her with both fear and disgust. "Dalek." The word came to mind almost effortlessly.

The creature's eye stalk rose slowly, regarding her silently for a moment. "You-know-me?" Its voice was strangely stilted. Rose's hands curled up into fists at the sound.

The room was dingy, it brought a sense of claustrophobia. She was relatively certain that she could reach the door fairly quickly if necessary but wasn't too keen on being close to the Dalek.

"I don't know. Maybe." She answered. Adam gave her a bewildered look.

"Holy crap, you got it to talk." He stepped closer, hovering in front of Rose and the Dalek.

"What are you doing here?"

"I-fell-so-far. They-trapped-me-tortured-me. They-fear-me." She wasn't certain if she caught a note of sadness in its voice or if she was projecting how she would feel in such a situation. _Daleks do not feel, except for hatred._ She reminded herself, somewhat thankful for the inexplicable knowledge.

"Maybe you deserve it." She whispered it harshly, startled by the ferocity of her own statement.

Unexpected knowledge she could deal with. But feelings, feelings were difficult, especially when they didn't feel like they were her own.

"Perhaps-I-Do." Lights flashed dully with each pained sound. Blue light from its eyepiece stared at her unblinkingly. "I-am-dying. My-race-is-dead, why-must-I-remain-here?" It paused, regarding her tense stance. "They-all fear-me-here, do-you-fear-me-too?"

She considered her words carefully. "I feel like I should fear you, my instincts scream at me to run from you. Yet, I do not know you, nor do I know your kind." Letting out a sigh, "I'm not sure how I feel most days. I know you are dangerous, I know you are in pain. Part of me even believes I understand you."

The Dalek considered her words, "I-am-glad. I-am-glad-to-have-met-a-honest-human. There-is-no reason-for-lies-amongst-my-kind. Humans-hide-their-fear-behind-cruelty. We-are-cruel-too, but-then-we-are-always-cruel."

Rose turned away, pity warring with hatred made her feel uneasy. Looking at the Dalek caused all kinds of dissonance. Adam caught her arm as she headed for the door.

"Wait, Rose. You actually got it to speak. Van Statten has been trying for ages. You gotta keep talking to it." He enthused, tugged her back towards it.

Rose tried to pull her arm back. He responded by tugging her harder. Rose stumbled, reaching out for a surface to steady herself. Her hand rested atop the Dalek. Hissing at the intense heat that spread across her palm, she ripped her hand away and shook of Adam; who was now staring at the Dalek in horror.

"Crap, Rose...I'm sorry. We should leave, now." He insisted.

A golden imprint of her hand faded from the Dalek. "Genetic-material-extrapolated. Initiate-cellular-reconstruction!" Its tarnished body gained a rich bronze hue, lights blared to life on its head as it became suddenly much more animated. The many chains holding it down, snapped abruptly.

A man in an orange protective suit entered. "What the hell have you done?" He snarled.

"It was an accident. I swear!" Squeaked Adam, manfully.

The stranger, who she had previously seen torture the Dalek, approached it once again with a drill. In response, the creature raised its plunger threateningly.

The man laughed dismissively, "What are you going to do? Sucker me to death?" The Dalek proceeded to do just that, the man's face was sucked in, the loud noise of bones splintering under the pressure resounded throughout the room.

Rose wanted to throw up. Her heart pounded furiously in time to the angry echo in her head. She felt angry with herself for even considering being merciful to such a creature. Especially since she knew exactly what it could do. Except she didn't, but the dread that raced up her spine informed her that if there was any doubt it was dangerous before there was certainly no doubt now.

She caught Adam's panicked gaze and they both ran for the door.

0o0o0o0o0

Military personnel were piling in from ahead, guns at the ready. The door was sealed behind her but it brought no feeling of safety. One of the guards was warning Van Statten, sat in front of a small scren. Ros peered over his shoulder at the screen, the Doctor appeared behind Van Statten, he glowered at the other man in the room.

"You've got to keep it in that cell." He warned.

"Doctor!" Rose exclaimed urgently. "That thing in there, the Dalek. I recognised it. It spoke to me." She shuddered. "And now it has my DNA."

His attention snapped to her immediately. "It's going to be okay, Rose. I'll get you out of there."

She nodded numbly, feeling that his assurances were fairly hollow considering the number of unknown variables at play.

The guard sat in front of the screen glanced at the door nonchalantly, "I've sealed the compartment. It can't get out, that lock's got a billion combinations."

The doctor shook his head, "A Dalek's a genius. It can calculate a thousand billion combinations in one second flat."

 _It's coming for you. We're going to die again._ Rose's head felt hazy, clearly going on stressful adventures one after another was bad for your mental health. Despite how perilous the situations she had found herself in previously, she was fairly certain she would remember dying.

A green light flashed on the door behind her, indicating the Dalek had gained access to the system. The soldiers assembled around the door as she and Adam were herded out of the room and towards an emergency exit.

As Rose raced across the corridor the lights above began to flicker. The room behind them had completely lost power as if something were draining it. Adam watched her with frightened eyes. "There's only one of it, there's plenty of us. Surely it doesn't stand a chance."

"I don't like our chances," Rose muttered bleakly. "Come on." Soldiers began retreating heading towards them.

" Cover the north wall. Red division, maintain suppressing fire along the perimeter." One of the soldiers beneath them started to issue commands."Blue divisi-argh!" He was cut off as a streak of light raced towards him, his body was illuminated, his very skeleton visible for a second before he crumpled to the ground.

The other guards started to fire at the Dalek, the bullets rippled around its armour, seemingly inflicting no damage at all. Its eyepiece fixed on a new soldier, the middle part of its armour moved to attack. Like a deadly coordinated dance, it alternated the orientation of its armour, attacking the soldiers closest to it.

Backing towards the end of the corridor, Rose and Adam came upon of flight of stairs. She felt guilty for leaving the soldiers behind, but surely they should be able to tell by now that fighting the Dalek with their guns was futile. Running was the best course of action.

"Let's see it follow us now." Crowed Adam triumphantly. He skipped several steps in his eagerness to put distance between himself and the Dalek

"It's coming! Get up!" Barked one of the guards. Only too willing to obey, Rose followed after. Atop the first flight of stairs, Rose peered down at the Dalek. Its eyestalk swivelled and fixed on her for a moment, watching her intently. Rose swallowed and averted her gaze.

"Great big alien death machine defeated by a flight of stairs." Mocked Adam.

It all seemed far too easy.

The guard that had so valiantly ushered them to safety began to negotiate with the Dalek. "Now listen to me. I demand that you return to your cage. If you want to negotiate then I can guarantee that Mister van Statten will be willing to talk. I accept that we imprisoned you and maybe that was wrong, but people have died, and that stops right now." They lowed their gun slightly. "The killing stops. Have you got that? I demand that you surrender. Is that clear?" Their enemy uttered a single word. A single word that let them all know they were majorly screwed.

"Elevate."

And it began to do just that, Adam grabbed her arm, apparently, it was becoming a habit. "We have to keep going." She nodded in agreement, and continued to ascend the stairs, hoping they would be faster than the Dalek.

0o0o0o0o0o

Now that the Dalek was out of sight Rose and Adam took a moment to catch their breath.

"This is the craziest thing that's ever happened to me." Adam panted.

"I really don't like the way that the Dalek was staring at me."

Adam scoffed, "It was staring at all of us. In case you didn't notice it wants to kill us."

Rose frowned, "No, it felt like it knew me, it was...unnerving."

Suddenly, her phone began to ring. "Now's not really the time for a social chat."

"Where are you?" The Doctor asked, his voice terse.

Rose glanced around, her eyes rested on a sign nearby. "I'm on level forty-nine. Wow, that's a lot of stairs we ran up. Fear's a great motivator."

"You've got to keep moving. The vault's being sealed off up at level forty-six."

"You're doing what?" She asked incredulously, "Can't you stop them closing?"

"I can't do that, I can't let it escape. You need to run Rose!" the worry in his voice was evident.

Following Adam's directions, once again they ran, racing down long corridors, clinical white rooms that all looked the same. Rose gripped her mobile phone tightly, she was beginning to lag behind Adam. A loud siren pierced the air, warning them of the impending closure of the bulkhead. The opening was already incredibly narrow, and she was too far away.

 _If only a kept up with my gym membership._ She cursed. Her limbs were shaking with exertion, her chest burned. Adam disappeared under the bulkhead just before it slammed shut. Letting out a loud gasp, Rose pressed her face against the wall of the bulkhead feeling tears well up. _Oh God, this is it._

Shakily she brought her phone up to her ear. "Rose, where are you? Rose, did you make it?" He pressed.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I guess I wasn't fast enough."

"No, no! Rose...you can't be..." He cried out in anguish.

"Hey it's okay," She comforted. "I always knew museums were boring enough to kill people." She choked out. The Doctor laughed shakily. "You'll be okay." That was all the comfort she could offer, because when it came down to it the Doctor would always be _okay_ , left to stand alone as the dust settles.

"Rose...please..." She ended the call, unwilling for him to hear her final moments.

The Dalek had finally made its way down the corridor. Gliding silently, unlike any Earthly predator, killing simply for the sake of killing.

She stuck her hand in her pocket, holding onto the warm metal of her Fob watch. Running her fingers over the spirals she closed her eyes. All she could hear were the pounding drums, until...

"Exterminate!"

0o0o0o0o0o

The Doctor had lost the visual feed for the bulkheads but the audio remained. Van Statten cut it off after hearing the Dalek's death sentence.

His head span, thoughts crashing angrily around his skull. _How could you do this? How could you let her die? She trusted you._ Rose Tyler was his little oddity, intelligent in spite of her self-loathing, brave and a caring in face of danger when she would like nothing more than to flee. And he had left her behind, just like he promised he never would.

There was so much he wanted to show her, so much to teach her and to learn about her. At first, he had wanted to unravel the mystery that was Rose Tyler, now utterly destroyed, the pieces of her life would be shattered beyond repair. She was more than a mystery, she was a friend.

It had been undeservingly cruel of him to test her as he had, having her watch her own planet burn as he had before her, watching her make the choice time and time again to aid him and choose him over her family. It was certainly wrong of him, but he couldn't stop. Rose was all he had left; compassion, her ever ingrained sarcasm reminding him of someone he had lost lifetimes ago.

 _You would think that you would become numb after losing so many people you care about._ But each new loss was a cut deeper into his fragile mind and soul.

0o0o0o0o0o

Rose opened her eyes. The area of the bulkhead to the left of her head was scorched black. "Feeling tired?" She asked sardonically, "By all means, take a break. I'm in no hurry."

The Dalek stared at her, then grew agitated, its centrepiece swivelled around frantically, firing off in all directions. Missing her completely.

"Okay! You've made your point."

After a stony silence, where Rose was sure it was glaring at her, it spoke. "What-have-you-done-to-me?"

"What have I done?" She replied in disbelief, "You're the one that's gone on a killing spree."

Its eye-stalk adjusted, focusing on her. "You-have-contaminated-me-with-your-illness."

Rose's eyes widened, she wasn't sure if she was supposed to be offended. "Buddy, it looks like the worst I've given you is my terrible hand-eye coordination given some of your misses."

It fired off again at her, this time, just above her right shoulder.

 _Stop antagonising the homicidal robot._ She mentally chided herself.

"There-is-this-sound-inside-of-me, pulsing-throughout-every-part-of-my-body-and-mind." Its voice became higher, in its distress. "It-sounds-like-drums. Why-are-there-drums-inside-your-head?"

Rose couldn't breathe. Her head started to pound, the Dalek's words triggering her own issue. _Da da day dum..._ "It's just a migraine." Rose insisted. Her heart pounded fearfully. _There's nothing wrong with me, it's wrong._

"It-calls-to-me-across-time-and-space." It let out a pained sound, firing off again at the walls, Rose had to dodge out of the way. "Since-you-touched-me-it-won't-stop. What-insanity-have-you-bestowed-upon-me?"

Rose gripped her watch chain. Her mind went blank as unfamiliar words ran off of her tongue. "It will never, ever stop. I stared into the Untempered Schism and it stared back. The drums are a part of my mind just as they are a part of yours."

"Make-it-stop!"

Hatred flared in her chest. "Last of the Daleks. How fitting that you would be the one to share my fate."

"He-is-call-ing." Its voice died away for a moment. "This-connection-is-wrong. I-will-not-be-contaminated-by-your-race." It insisted.

The fuzziness faded from Rose's mind. She couldn't quite recall what they had spoken of. She shuddered, releasing her watch. "Who's calling?"

Its stalk swivelled from side to side for a moment, assessing the damage it had caused. Smoking holes and scorch marks peppered the walls. "I-would-exterminate-you-Rose-Tyler-but-that-would-be-an-act-of-mercy. Daleks-are-not-merciful. You-will-suffer-your-cruel-fate-abomination."

It slid backwards, the spheres embedded on the metal shell peeled away, surrounding it in a spherical shape.

"What the hell are you doing?" Rose shouted.

"I-am-no-longer-a-Dalek. I-am-corrupted-by-the DNA-of-my-enemy. I-must-be-exterminated." An electrical current passed between the spheres, exploding outwards, vaporising the Dalek in the centre.

Rose remained still, staring at a pile of ash in disbelief. _What could have been so wrong about me and my DNA to drive it mad like that? Why would it hesitate to kill me? How can it possibly know what is in store for me?_ The Dalek's ominous words reminded her too strongly of what Gwyneth had said.

It suddenly occurred to her that she was, in fact, alive and a friend of hers would probably like to be made aware of this fact.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she shakily dialled up the Doctor.

"Rose?!" His voice sent soothing waves of calm through her. He sounded cautiously hopeful.

"Doctor." She let out a sigh. "Everything's alright. I'm alright." She reassured him.

"How?" His voice cracked, "Hand on a moment, I'm going to try to restore the visual feed from the security cameras." After a long pause, she heard him swear under his breath."Is that-"

"Yeah, it's dead."

The bulkhead started to open up and a familiar figure came racing up to her. Wide blue eye's stared at her in disbelief, unwilling to look away. The Doctor's arms wound around her middle, pulling her close. "Rose...Rose," he mumbled into her hair, gripping her too tightly. Cautiously, she tightened her own grip, allowing herself to soak in the comfort he was providing. An awkward Adam had trailed into the room after him, watching their interaction with a confused look on his face.

Pulling away she gave him a shaky smile. He returned it tenfold. His eyes strayed to the pile of ash a few metres away. "How did you kill it?"

Rose raised her eyebrows at him. "Yes, the small fleshy human ran at the metal monstrosity and throttled it to death." He huffed in annoyance. "It said that my DNA contaminated it...it killed itself" She trailed off uncertainly, her memory of the conversation was somewhat hazy. _Hey, I guess trauma will do that to you._

"Contaminated?" The Doctor's brow furrowed. "I suppose that makes sense, Daleks have always reviled anything human. What stopped it from killing you?"

 _My winning personality and charm._ "It said that I would suffer more alive, with what the future has in store for me." Rose clenched her hands into fists, her nails digging into the palms of her hands.

The Doctor's hand rested on her shoulder, "Don't pay any attention to it. I met the thing in The Cage and it was insane. Alone and in pain." A faraway look entered his eye, "The last of its kind"

She placed her hand on top of his, where it rested on her shoulder. "Hey, if it survived the war, maybe you're not alone either."

He laughed cynically. "I would know." He tapped his head, "My race are telepathic, it's too empty in here."

"Oh," She paused, "You said I might be telepathic. Can you like...feel me up there?"

He gave her an amused smile, "I said a bit telepathic, I scanned you and I can't get any readings at all unless you're really good at masking it."

She shrugged, "I've never been good at sharing my thoughts and feelings with others."

"I'm sure that's it." He replied sarcastically, "Your antisocial tendencies confound my superb abilities."

Someone cleared their throat loudly. Rose's attention snapped to Adam, awkwardly shuffling from foot to foot. "I-uh-I'm glad you're alive...sorry about before...when I." Rose smiled at him. "Anyway, we'd better get out. Van Statten's disappeared. They're closing down the base. Goddard says they're going to fill it full of cement, like it never existed." He looked forlorn, "I'll have to go back home."

A flash of annoyance crossed the Doctor's face. _He probably doesn't like being interrupted._ "Better hurry up then. Next flight to Heathrow leaves at fifteen hundred hours."

Adam hesitated, turning away to leave when something occurred to Rose. If she left with the Doctor now, they'd be back in the TARDIS...alone. Where he was almost certain to start questioning her in more depth. She was somewhat relieved he had lost the audio and visual footage of her conversation with the Dalek. With 'The Conversation' looming over her from earlier, she felt very self-conscious about any more abnormalities she might display in front of the Doctor.

Adam had not treated her as an abnormality. In fact due to her lying about personally hacking the government. _Not lying so much as implying._ He had stared at her with a kind of awe. Sure, the Doctor was often surprised by the things she did, but they seemed to make him look suspicious or even concerned. It would be nice to have a buffer of sorts against his scrutiny.

"So, Adam was saying he fancied seeing the stars." She started.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Tell him to go and stand outside, then."

"He seems nice enough, and he tried to help in his own way." She prompted.

"He left you down there." He retorted incredulously.

"Actually-" Adam interjected. Freezing when he saw the Time Lord's glare.

"So did you." She reminded, sounding slightly more hurt than she had intended.

Worry creased his face. "Rose, I know I messed up and I left you in danger. You think I can't take care of you-"

She patted his arm, "I don't need a babysitter."

"I didn't think you even liked him." This time he definitely sounded sulky.

Rose paused. She had, in fact, forgot that Adam was a pretentious shit, that had annoyed the living daylights out of her. On the plus side, he was exceedingly easy to manipulate and would likely hang around enough to fend off the better part of the Doctor's deep and meaningful _chats_ , trying to get to the bottom of what was wrong with her.

It was strange. She had felt willing enough before to accept his help, especially after the fiasco with her therapist. After the confrontation with the Dalek, her _issue_ seemed less like a puzzle she wanted help solving and more of a dirty secret she wanted to hide at all costs. It was instinctive, a need to keep secret whatever was wrong with her. Gwyneth had seemed terrified of her...the Dalek been disgusted. _Abomination._

With a begrudging resolve she decided, _Adam the buffer it is._

"He grew on me." She said with as straight a face as she could muster. She managed a weak smile when Adam beamed at her.

The Doctor gave a long-suffering sigh, "Fine, on your own head." He scanned Adam critically, before turning to her with an inscrutable expression. She had the impression that he possibly felt hurt by her addition of Adam to the party.

"Come on then." She waved Adam over, indicating he should follow them.

"Where are you going, She said cement. She wasn't joking. We're going to get sealed in." He cast a worried glance around, scurrying after them like a terrier. The Doctor looked pained by his incessant questions. "Why are you going inside a blue box?


	8. The Long Game: Adam the Buffer

Rose collapsed on her bed exhausted. Yesterday had been a trying day. Had it been yesterday? Time in the TARDIS tended to swing from her own linear time to an odd place of neutrality.

That reminded her, she had been meaning to ask the Doctor how her super-phone could call her mother, keeping in line with her linear perception of time irrespective of how many years into the future or past she was in.

Thinking of the Doctor also, unfortunately, reminded her of her new rule:

'Don't talk to the Doctor unsupervised.'

Adam was surprisingly doing a fabulous job of obnoxiously barging into conversations Rose didn't particularly want to continue. Her relieved smiles at the sight of his overeager face were giving him entirely the wrong impression.

 _Oh well._

Rose was starting to feel a bit guilty. Given the looks of absolute loathing the Doctor gave Adam she was expecting him to be violently thrown out of the TARDIS into a nearby sun any day now.

"You're friend's a bit grumpy isn't he," Adam commented. His awe over the TARDIS had soon been eclipsed by the underwhelming responses he received to his questions.

Whenever he asked how a part of the TARDIS operated the Doctor would begin his usual refrain of either 'dunno' or 'it's beyond the understanding of your tiny mind.'

Adam had resolved to work out the mysteries of the ship by himself.

Rose had taken to shrugging helplessly like a smitten teenager whenever Adam deigned her worthy to drag off to inspect a new piece of wiring much to the Doctor's consternation.

0o0o0o0o

It was morning/night/sometime when Rose dragged herself out of bed to head to the kitchen. For some reason, it wasn't quite where she remembered. She seemed to keep approaching the main console room.

Reluctantly she gave in.

The Doctor appeared to be half under a metal grating with a pancake hanging out of his mouth. Syrup ran messily down his chin.

Rose wondered if she should run past while his attention was elsewhere. Then again the conniving TARDIS may direct her back into the console room.

"Morning." She called out.

Spluttering and wiping his mouth, the Doctor emerged."You're up," He commented. There was a slightly guarded look about him. "And where is Mr Mitchell today?"

"Still asleep probably."

He cast a glance behind his shoulder. He was likely developing a nervous twitch, born of the frequency of Adam's unwelcoming interventions. "Look, Rose, I wanted to talk to you about-"

"Morning." Chimed a familiar voice.

Rose could anticipate the eye roll before she saw it.

"Adam." She mustered as much false cheeriness as she could. "Now you're up we can go on a trip right?"

The Doctor cast Adam a disdainful look, "Sure if you're up to it. Last night we passed the Bylegian Sphere and you threw up in my kitchen."

Adam screwed his face up, "I had a heavy lunch, I keep telling you. I'm ready to get out there and experience the universe."

"There we go then!" Enthused Rose. God, this cheery persona doesn't suit me at all.

This was interruption number 12.

The Doctor was silently glowering at Adam while flicking two of the orange switches on the far panel.

The most spectacular interruption had been when the Doctor had brought up her drawing of the Dalek and Adam had claimed the experience too traumatic to discuss. To which the Doctor had nicely (forcefully) suggested he leave the room.

Of course, Adam needed to take Rose with him to calm down at the mention of the evil space pepper pots because she too was a victim of this trauma. Ignoring the fact that the only one with any actual trauma relating to Daleks was left glaring at the closed door.

"I suppose the two of you will be wanting to go somewhere nice for your little date." The word alone was implied.

The Doctor was now appraising her with a new level of suspicion. Some of these avoidance tactics were much too obvious. She had a feeling that he was just humouring her now.

Adam turned red and blustered a bit about not officially dating Rose. Rose was beginning to become concerned that the Doctor's eyes would get stuck mid-eye-roll.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Adam burst out of the TARDIS doors, eyes wide with wonder. Rose could hear the sharp intake of breath as she stepped out next to him. The Doctor lurked in the doorway as he was want to do as of late.

It was very, very noisy.

That's what struck Rose as the most noticeable, crowded with too many stalls and terminals, crowds of humans queuing and shouting. _How far we've come,_ she thought glumly.

Adam turned to her questioningly, "Where are we? Is this the future?"

"Yeah Rose." Called a mocking voice, "A seasoned traveller such as yourself can surely tell us where we are." The Doctor challenged.

 _Not here five minutes and he's already starting._ Of course, the Doctor must know she had no idea where she was, having only been to a handful of places. Openly calling her out on her slightly exaggerated claims of universal knowledge was a bold move. One born of frustration.

Rose scowled at him. Briefly contemplating making something up; she wondered if he would call bullshit. _Of course, he would, the bastard._

Scanning what appeared to be a platform overlooking the general hustle and bustle the first thought that came to mind was an intergalactic shopping centre. Rose was sceptical that the Doctor would choose such a place to visit, begrudging date or not.

There was a large number painted on the far wall and large screens placed over terminals. There was an awful lot of TV screens and news programmes. Many of the people passing wore smart business suits, their attire was too particular and refined to be hanging around a space mall.

Wondering whether she was making a foolish decision Rose concentrated on the background noise. Just listening. The dull thud of her heart, the thudding in her head. She always seemed to forget it was there, which was surprising considering how loud it was when she really thought about it. _Da da day dum._

It felt like her brain was a ball of wool that was being unravelled too quickly.

"Two hundred thousand." She blurted out. Adam turned to her. "That's the year, and erm..." She trailed off, "We're on what seems to be a spaceship." _A much safer bet than space mall._

She spun around triumphantly, mentally flipping off the Doctor, only to find he looked unreasonably smug.

"Space station actually, but you were absolutely right about the date. However could you tell?" Icy blue eyes burned into her fiercely.

 _Ah hell_ , he wasn't trying to show her up in front of Adam, it was nothing so petty. No, he was trying to prove his point about her being different, telepathic. This was his not so silent way of reminding her that he hadn't forgotten and as soon as her silliness with Adam ended he was delving right back into the mystery that she, unfortunately, posed as.

"The architecture," She snarked. He knew full well she knew as little about futuristic space station layouts as he did about modern Earth fashion magazines.

"This is amazing." Adam breathed, his face seemed a bit flushed and his eyes were becoming glassy. As they approached an enormous viewing screen a view of the Earth came into sight.

"The Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. And there it is, planet Earth at its height." The Doctor gestured grandly. "Covered with megacities, five moons, population ninety-six billion. The hub of a galactic domain stretching across a million planets, a million species, with mankind right in the middle."

 _Because he could never resist the chance to show off._

Adam started to sway, overcome by the entirety of it all. Before fainting in a rather undignified fashion.

Rose stared at his unconscious body indignantly _. Don't you dare leave me alone with him!_

Rose attempted to get him to stir, violently shaking his shoulder. She looked up when she heard a small chuckle.

"Made of strong stuff, that boyfriend of yours." His arms were crossed in a rather defiant way.

"Not my boyfriend," She muttered sulkily.

0o0o0o0

He was rubbing it in her face now.

Practically including Adam willingly in this little tour of the spaceship, _pardon, space station._

"Come on, Adam. Open your mind. You're going to like this. Fantastic period of history. The human race at its most intelligent. Culture, art, politics."

Adam seemed bewildered by the Doctor's sudden inclusion of him, going out of his way to explain the smallest thing and expanding on any barely related point of trivia. Adam was not looking much better, still rather pasty and overwhelmed. Rose was sure that somehow this was a new tactic of the Doctor's, _he must be playing nice for a reason_. Or maybe she was being stupidly paranoid.

 _No, this was definitely a new tactic._

"This era has got fine food, good manners-" His tirade was cut short by a large man shoving past, bellowing at him to move. They were now stood in a queue outside of a shabby looking food stall.

"Fine cuisine." Rose mocked.

"Good manner?" Adam echoed doubtfully.

The Doctor seemed perplexed, "My watch must be wrong." He paused. "No, it's fine. It's weird"

"What's this? The Doctor's infallible time senses failing him." She continued.

"My History's perfect." He protested

"Evidently."

"Why are they all human." Adam cut in, "What about the millions of planets, the millions of species? Where are they?"

For all of Rose's mocking and general distaste for Adam, she had forgotten that he was considered to be quite smart. Ironic considering he mentioned his own intelligence often enough.

"That's a good question." The Doctor frowned before glancing over at the food stall. For a second he met Rose's eye and smirked at her _. That could not mean anything good._

"Say, Rose, this is supposed to be your date." He started, "And here I am taking up all of your attention, you must be eager to spend some alone time with Adam."

 _Not particularly._

"Sure." She smiled (grimaced).

"Money. We need money. Let's use a cashpoint." The Doctor murmured. Pointing his sonic screwdriver and smacking the top of the machine irritably, a plastic card skid out. Triumphantly he handed it to Adam. "There you go, lunch's on me."

Adam scrutinised it, running his thumb over the edge while making a small hum of contemplation. "I'm guessing it's like a credit card." Smiling brightly he latches onto Rose's arm. "I guess we should go eat." He cast an apprehensive look at the woman serving what could only be referred to as sludge if you were being generous.

Rose tensed under Adam's grasp, giving him a look of disapproval, one which the Doctor seemed to notice. He raised an eyebrow at her discomfort as if to say 'what's the matter, isn't this what you wanted?' "Have fun." He turned away brusquely, approaching a pair of women, one of which had impressive hair braids.

 _Yes, fun._

0o0o0o0o0

It was upon this day, upon this very hour that Rose swore revenge against the Doctor. _Smug...big eared...nosey..._

As much time as Rose had spent in Adam's company it had always been for show. Whenever the Doctor gave up trying to talk to her she would drift away from Adam.

Now she had no choice but to endure his company, or ditch her date and explain to the Doctor that she didn't really want to spend time with Adam.

The Doctor, of course, had picked up on her thinly veiled dislike for the guy.

Adam was babbling about the implications of some random piece of technology on the future of the human race. She had never been so bored in her life. Rose had taken to insulting the Doctor mentally, _maybe if I'm so telepathic he'll be able to hear_. She thought wryly.

She was being unfair to Adam. In the grand scheme of things he was certainly more intelligent than Mickey; in a kind of bookish way, Mickey had the maturity of growing up too fast to care for others. In spite of everything she really wanted to run off to the Doctor.

But there were implications.

Namely, him asking her about what the Dalek had said.

 _Abomination._

It sent shivers down her spine.

The Dalek had her DNA, it knew her. It knew she was wrong. The Doctor had assumed that it was the creature's distaste for humanity that had driven it insane. But no, Rose knew it was more than that. The Doctor wanted to know why it would spare her, why it would be driven to suicide.

She could, of course, have lied. She had given minimal details regarding the encounter. The sensitive soul he was, Rose knew he wanted some kind of inane heart to heart about it.

Rose now had the sinking feeling that whatever was wrong with her wasn't so benign. Rationally it made sense to tell the Doctor anyway. He was her friend. Whenever she tried she would be overcome with a wave of nausea and anxiety, her head would throb and her instincts would tell her _hell no!_

"Rose, are you even listening?" Boy genius was giving her a hurt puppy dog stare.

"Yeah, yeah, you want to advance the human race and be given the recognition you deserve."

"No, this isn't about me, it's about the future. Making the world a better place."

"Wanna try my slushie?" Adam's nose wrinkled, giving a dubious glance.

"What flavour is it?"

Rose shrugged, "Tastes like my Mum's shepherd's pie when she hasn't defrosted it properly."

"I think I'll pass."

There was a moment of silence. Rose started up again on her mental insults. _Exasperating, vexing, insouciant._

"What's up with that Doctor then?" He said after a pause.

"What do you mean?" Rose shifted in her seat uncomfortably

"Haven't you seen the way he stares at you, completely unflinching, like a-like a..." He waves his arm in the air, "Stalker, yes, that's it."

"Stalker?" She wasn't convinced.

"A man his age, pining after a girl like you." He shakes his head with a patronising smile, "You have him wrapped right around your finger."

Rose was quite sure that the Doctor's intentions were not at all amorous. There had been dramatic moments of pledged trust in one another but to claim his interest was anything beyond platonic was laughable.

Although, she was aware of 'the look' Adam referred to. It was a look that promised to shatter her into tiny pieces and examine her under a microscope before putting her back together again in his preferred image. Rose frowned at the dark turn of her thoughts. The Doctor had never given her the impression that he would harm her should he learn something unfavourable about her.

"Just think about it." Adam continued, "This Doctor owns a time machine, you could go back in time and buy shares in important companies."

"You think he should use it for profit." She repressed the urge to sneer at him, _limited humans...limited minds..._

"No, no!" He backtracked, gazing beseechingly with doe-like eyes. Rose wanted to vomit. "That was just an example. You could go back in time and save people, 9/11, the holocaust..."

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that."

"You didn't see this because you were downstairs with that death machine, but if you'd seen the way the Doctor threatened Van Statten." He shuddered, "He was about ready to rip those bulkheads open with his bare hands." He appraised her for a moment, "He's jealous you know."

Rose stabbed the straw back into the slushie cup violently, "What's he got to be jealous of?"

He blinked uncomprehendingly, "Uh, me." He sighed when Rose stared at him blankly, "He thinks something's gonna happen between you, but since we're together, he's like, you know just a chauffeur."

Rose wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at the mental image of the Doctor forced into an unflattering chauffeur outfit, at the beck and call of Adam Mitchell.

"We're together?" A sceptical note entered her voice.

Adam's face screwed up in irritation, "Obviously. You practically insisted I come with you. You hang around me all of the time, I'm clearly your intellectual equal."

Now would probably be a good time to mention she didn't like spending time with Adam. _On one hand, goodbye pain in the backside, on the other, goodbye buffer..._

"As soon as he realises he won't be getting any," he motions rudely at her chest, "He's going to drop you like a hot potato. I reckon we should learn how he pilots that thing and take off before he drops us."

Rose was at a loss for words.

Until a snort escaped from her. "You seriously think you can just steal the TARDIS?" _So much for being a genius._

"I could." He replied hotly. He didn't appear to be fond of her ridicule.

Before she could respond to his absurd claim a familiar voice called out to them. "Oi, Mutt and Jeff! Over here!" The Doctor waved them over.

She pushed her chair back, the legs making an unpleasant screech. "Well, I guess our date is over."

Adam huffed, shooting the Doctor a dark look as they trudged over to him, still in the company of the two women from earlier. He turned to her for a moment, clasping her hand in his larger, sweatier one. "We can continue this later."

It was at that moment that Rose decided that Adam was just too much trouble.

As much as she enjoyed using him as a buffer she had known it couldn't last. She appraised him, rather like a tired pet owner preparing to send their rabid animal away.

0o0o0o0o

On the way over to a large conference room, the Doctor had briefed both his companions on their new roles as members of management at Satellite Five. _Not a mall then, a news station of some kind._

The Room was blindingly bright, with a large comfy looking leather seat surrounded by desks in the shape of an octagon. The woman in the sharp black suit and braids made her way over to the central chair, whilst a number of other people positioned themselves around her.

It all struck Rose as being unnervingly cult-like.

"Now, everybody behave. We have a management inspection. How do you want it, by the book?" She deferred to the Doctor.

"Right from scratch, thanks." The Time Lord agreed.

Clearing her throat, "Okay. So, ladies, gentlemen, multi-sex, undecided or robot,- my name is Cathica Santini Khadeni." She glanced back at the Doctor, "That's Cathica with a C, in case you want to write to Floor five hundred praising me, and please do. Now, please feel free to ask any questions. The process of news gathering must be open, honest, and beyond bias. That's company policy."

"Actually, it's the law." Input one of the other women Rose had seen speaking with the Doctor earlier.

"Yes, thank you, Suki." Cathica bit out. "Okay, keep it calm. Don't show off for the guests. Here we go." Settling down in the chair she set it to recline. "Engage safety."

Rose watched uncomfortably as seven others pressed the palms of their hands to small screens in front of themselves and light started to pour down from above. Cathica clicked her fingers together, revealing an opening in her forehead. Rose cringed at the sight of her exposed brain.

"And three, two, and spike." Called Cathica, authoritatively. The light became focused as it made a channel, pouring into the exposed part of her brain.

Rose glanced over at the Doctor to gauge his reaction. He seemed to be staring at Cathica with a kind of horrified fascination. "Compressed information, streaming into her." He muttered, "Reports from every city, every country, every planet, and they all get packaged inside her head. She becomes part of the software. Her brain is the computer."

"How can she bear it?" Rose breathed. She idly wondered if that was what her brain was like, picking up on passing information it had no business knowing.

"She can't." He agreed, "She won't be able to remember any of this when it's over, There's too much. Her head'd blow up. The brain's the processor. As soon as it closes, she forgets."

"What about them?" She tilted her head in the direction of the surrounding 'not cult members.'

"They've all got tiny little chips in their head, connecting them to her and they transmit six hundred channels. Every single fact in the Empire beams out of this place." His eyes narrowed as if something displeasing had come to mind. "Now that's what I call power."

Adam was once again looking a bit green but seemed determined to remain conscious this time. Rose nudged him with her arm. He reached for her hand, gripping it tightly to her dismay _. Ah well, I only have myself to blame._

"Do you want some air?" She asked gently.

"Adam continued to stare at Cathica, head tilted uncomprehendingly. "No, no, this technology, it's amazing."

"This technology is wrong." The Doctor cut in sharply, always one to correct Adam. His eyes briefly flickered to Rose and Adam's clasped hands, suppressing a grimace.

 _Wrong._ Rose knew lots about things that were wrong.

"Trouble?" She asked, tearing her hand away from Adam.

The Doctor's answering smile was everything she had missed and all she never knew she wanted. For a second all awkwardness was forgotten. "Oh yes."

Her eyes were drawn away from the Doctor's captivating gaze by the pained intake of breath from Suki. Her hands flew off the panel abruptly and the light above flickered and died out. Cathica sat up giving her an irritable look. "Come off it, Suki. I wasn't even halfway. What was that for?"

The brunette shrugged, "Sorry. It must've been a glitch." She was answered only by Cathica's pompous sigh.

A banner appeared on the rear screen, a loud grating voice filled the room. "Promotion!"

Cathica immediately became more alert. "Come on. This is it. Come on. Oh God, make it me. Come on, say my name, say my name, say my name."

"Promotion!" It drew out once again, "For Suki Macrae Cantrell. Please proceed to Floor five hundred."

Suki stared at the screen in disbelief. The quiet rumble of her colleague's congratulations filled the room. "I don't believe it. Floor five hundred."

"How the hell did you manage that? I'm above you." Berated Cathica, her hands were drawn into a position reminiscent of talons with her expensive-looking manicure wielded as a deadly weapon.

"I don't know." She replied, "I just applied on the off chance and they've said yes." A wide smile crossed her face.

Cathica continued to whine about floor five hundred.

Rose caught the Doctor's eye, "What's so great about this floor five hundred."

He smirked, "Oh, haven't you heard. The walls are made of gold."

She wasn't sure if he was being serious or not; which was often the case with the Doctor.

0o0o0o0

Suki continued to smile at the Doctor and walk next to him closer than necessary. When they reached the lifts she gave Cathica a big fake smile, "Oh Cathica, I'm going to miss you." She punched the Doctor lightly, "Floor five hundred, all thanks to you. You're my good luck charm."

Rose was quite sure if she decided to throw Suki into the lift now Cathica would certainly help her, judging by the throbbing vein on her forehead.

"All right. I'll hug anyone." His arm curled around Suki but released her quickly, Rose noted smugly. The 'We didn't die hugs' she shared with the Doctor tended to last longer.

She felt eyes watching her.

Adam was watching her glower at Suki.

"Would you give us a moment," Adam asked smoothly, tugging on Rose's arm. She was really beginning to resent how easily he invaded her personal space.

They walked a few steps away from the group congregated around the lift.

"What did I tell you." Adam spoke smugly, "You weren't giving him the time of day, now he's found some new thing to flirt with."

"They weren't flirting." Rose hissed.

"Right." He replied cynically.

The Doctor had looked up at them, hearing Rose's agitated remark.

Adam shushed her, turning his body so his back faced the Doctor. "C'mere." Without warning, he pulled her into what seemed to be more of a death grip than a hug. His hot breath left her neck feeling clammy. He bent his head so he could talk quietly into her ear. "You have the TARDIS key. We could just leave them here."

"Are you crazy?" Rose whispered back harshly. "We can't just steal it. What makes you think I want to go off with you?"

"his time Adam laughed cruelly, drawing her closer against his front. "You can't tell me you want to travel through time with that grumpy git. He won't let us have any fun." His hands slid down to her waist, hovering over her back pockets.

Rose shoved him off her, "A second of his time is more valuable than the entirety of your existence."Her head thudded angrily as drums called out hungrily. _Da da day dum..._

"Really?" He shouted. Drawing the attention of the Doctor, Cathica and Suki, "If you like him so much, why are you throwing yourself at me." He smiled slyly, lowering his voice, "If you're trying to make me jealous to get my attention all you have to do is ask me for it."

That was quite an exaggeration.

Rose's head started to feel fuzzy as she locked eyes with Adam. She just wanted him to go away, to leave her alone. Using Adam was a stupid selfish mistake. She was just going to have to suck it up and tell the Doctor about the nasty names the Dalek and Gwyneth had called her.

"Adam." She spoke lowly, maintaining eye contact, "I don't like you, and you don't like me. Just stay away from me." If Rose were on the more sensitive side perhaps she would have been able to feel the power that rolled of her tongue.

Adam's eyes glazed over as he repeated her words in a monotone voice. "I don't like you and you don't like me. I'm going to stay away from you."

Rose's head felt like it was being torn apart.

Both of them stared at each other awkwardly, uncertain of what had just occurred.

Adam ran a hand through his messy dark hair. "Right well..." His eyes darted over to the Doctor who was approaching them with concern plastered over his face. "Sorry Rose, I'm not really that into you, I'm gonna...you know..." He gestured to the far exit.

Clearing her throat, Rose nodded rapidly. "Yes, well...I guess I'll see you later when we head back."

 _What the hell was that?_

Adam had done a complete 180, going from creepy boyfriend to utterly indifferent in a matter of seconds.

 _At least my headache is gone._

Rose turned her back on Adam, meeting in the middle of the Doctor's path.

"Hey." She breathed.

"Hello." His smile was cautious, "Everything alright?"

"It is now." Internally cringing at how sappy she sounded.

"Oh, my God, I've got to go. I can't keep them waiting." Exclaimed Suki. She gave the Doctor's arm a friendly squeeze before entering the lift. She shifted from foot to foot awkwardly. "Bye!" The doors shut.

"Good riddance," Cathica grunted.

The Doctor tore his unsettling gaze from you, "You're talking like you'll never see her again. She's only going upstairs."

The journalist laughed, "We won't. Once you go to Floor five hundred you never come back."

"Well, that doesn't sound ominous at all," Rose interjected.

They began to walk back through the cafeteria. Rose unzipped her hoodie, the sweltering heat of the space station was getting to her. Her fingers brushed the edge of the TARDIS key she kept around her neck. She was going to have to warn the Doctor about Adam.

"Have you ever been up there?" He asked Cathica.

She looked wistful for a moment, "I can't. You need a key for the lift, and you only get a key with promotion. No one gets to five hundred except for the chosen few."

0o0o0o0o0

Rose leaned against the wall in the central Newsroom. Cathica was berating them over their false position as management while the Doctor criticised her lack of curiosity as a journalist.

"This society's the wrong shape, even the technology." He argued.

"It's cutting edge." Cathica insisted.

"It's backwards. There's a great big door in your head. You should've chucked this out years ago."

"If something's wrong here there has to be a catalyst." Rose agreed.

"Trust me, humanity's been set back about ninety years. When did Satellite Five start broadcasting?"

"Ninety-one years ago." Answered Cathica.

He huffed, clearly getting nowhere with Cathica's limited information. Giving up, the Doctor walked to a sealed cupboard. He pressed his sonic screwdriver up against it. With a sound of triumph it opened easily, eagerly he began to scan the content of the mainframe.

"What are you doing? You can't touch that." Cathica descended into frantic muttering about promotion rapidly becoming a distant dream.

Rose flinched when sparks flew out from one of the displays the Doctor was fiddling with.

"This is nothing to do with me. I'm going back to work." Cathica paced back and forth awkwardly, looking longingly at the door.

"Go on, then. See you!" The Doctor responded in a blasé manner.

Rose shifted uncomfortably, finally removing her hoodie and tying it around her waist. "Why is it so hot, you'd think the future would be more energy efficient."

"Future?" Cathica queried, "I don't know. We keep asking. Something to do with the turbine.

"Something to do with the turbine." The Doctor mocked, his attention still on the silver panel.

"Well, I don't know!" She crossed her arms.

" Exactly. I give up on you, Cathica. Now, Rose. Look at Rose." He turned to her, "Rose is asking the right kind of question now she doesn't have Adam Mitchell wittering in her ear."

 _It didn't take him long to bring that up._

He paused, "Why is it so hot?" He contemplated the question seriously.

"One minute you're worried about the Empire and the next it's the central heating!"

The Doctor pulled the monitor out, the extendable arm creaked angrily. "Here we go. Satellite Five, pipes and plumbing. Look at the layout."

"This is ridiculous." Cathica sucked in a deep breath, "You've got access to the computer's core. You can look at the archive, the news, the stock exchange and you're looking at pipes?"

"But there's something wrong." He prompted.

"Yeah, I guess, the ventilation system. Cooling ducts, ice filters, all working flat out channelling massive amounts of heat down."

"All the way from the top." He tapped the screen.

"Floor five hundred." Rose added, "Looks like they're having a sauna party up there."

"I like a good party." He smiled at her.

"You can't go up there, you need a key." Cathica continued impatiently.

He rolled his eyes, "Keys are just codes, and I've got the codes right here. Here we go." He casually pointed his screwdriver at the screen, "Override two one five-point nine." He pursed his lips, "That was easy, someone up there must like me."

0o0o0o

Cathica had protested, with all the bluster of well-rehearsed regulations and insisted she couldn't come with them. That left Rose with the Doctor in a lift.

Alone.

Rose shifted nervously, glancing at the Doctor before quickly looking away, he stared calmly ahead, waiting. The gentle whir of the lift was the only noise to accompany her increased heart rate.

"And then there were two." She spoke in a faux-dramatic voice.

Finally looking at her, he regarded her solemnly. "It seems you've lost your pet."

Rose swallowed, "Turns out I'm not much of a dog person."

"Good." He declared firmly.

0o0o0o0

The lift came to a stop with a jerk, sending Rose careening into the Doctor. He grabbed her arm to steady her, releasing her quickly they stepped out onto floor five hundred. A bone-chilling frost permeated the air, prompting Rose to put her jacket back on. The walls were caked in thick layers of ice. She could see the Doctor's breath hang heavily in the air.

"Funny looking gold colour if you ask me." Rose quipped.

"I don't like this." He stated, "We could be in danger, you should go back downstairs."

"When are we not in danger?"

His gaze turned sorrowful. "Maybe you'd be better off with Adam." Seeing her raise her brow sceptically the corner of his mouth upturned slightly, "Who am I kidding, I wouldn't inflict him on anyone."

 _Ouch..._

Turning the corner, they came upon a room earlier similar to the octagonal conference room from earlier. There were people at around desks caked in ice. Recognising Suki, Rose approached her cautiously.

"I started without you." She turned to see an average height man in a black suit. His hair was gelled into little pale blonde spikes. Rose wondered if he was trying to ironically match his environment with the icicle hairdo.

He grinned at them as he approached, "This is fascinating. Satellite Five contains every piece of information within the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. Birth certificates, shopping habits, bank statements, but you two, you don't exist. Not a trace" He pouted as if he was put out, "No birth, no job, not the slightest kiss. How can you walk through the world and not leave a single footprint?"

Rose tore her eyes away briefly to shake Suki, her skin was as cold as the frost matting her hair, her eyes stared forward blindly. "She's dead." Rose murmured, "What are you doing with her?" She faced the rock star reject.

The Doctor's face twisted in disgust, "They've all got chips in their head, and the chips keep going, like puppets"

Their opponent laughed delightedly, "Oh! You're full of information. But it's only fair we get some information back because apparently, you're no one. It's so rare not to know something. Who are you?"

The Doctor reached for her, his eyes flickered to their exit, "It doesn't matter, because we're off." Smiling falsely, "Nice to meet you. Come on."

Rose yelped when something cold wrapped itself around her arm, pulling her to a halt. With horror she found that Suki had grabbed hold of her, the unflinching dead grip prevented her from leaving. Two other ice zombies had hold of the Doctor. His face was twisted into a snarl as he tried to jerk them off, twisting his shoulders in vain.

"Tell me who you are." The white-haired man sang, unconcerned.

Sneering, the Doctor responded, "Since that information's keeping us alive, I'm hardly going to say, am I?"

Some distant part of Rose's mind was thankful that these zombies were frozen, the idea of rotting flesh being wrapped around her was far worse. Of course, she should have been more concerned about sympathising with the fate of these poor people.

The man in the suit sighed in an over-exaggerated manner, "Well, perhaps my Editor in Chief can convince you otherwise."

"I hope he's prettier than you." Rose retorted, attempting to unsuccessfully release her arms from Suki. "And who do we have the pleasure of talking to?"

He gave a shark-like smile, "I'm the Editor, it may interest you to know that this is not the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. In fact, it's not actually human at all. It's merely a place where humans happen to live." He paused for a moment as a low snarl reverberated around the room. "Yeah. Yeah, sorry. It's a place where humans are allowed to live by kind permission of my client."

The Editor's eyes turned upwards. Following his gaze, to the ceiling, Rose saw one of the ugliest sights she had ever seen. An enormous fleshy mass was mounted above them, its skin was the colour of puce, slick and shiny. A jagged mouth opened to show off rows of needle-like teeth. It roared angrily.

"Oh yeah, much prettier." Rose called out sarcastically.

"That thing is in charge of Satellite Five." The Doctor stared at it incredulously.

The Editor scoffed at his reaction, "That thing, as you put it, is in charge of the human race. For almost a hundred years, mankind has been shaped and guided, his knowledge and ambition strictly controlled by its broadcast news. " His voice grew louder, "Edited by my superior, your master, and humanity's guiding light, the mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe." He smirked, "I call him Max."

After being forced into a particularly large set of manacles and forced up against a pillar Rose was ready to punch the Editor, right in his smug face. He was monologuing like all villains tend to do.

"So you enslaved the human race, well done. But, what's the point. Aren't you like bored by now?" She asked, genuinely curious.

The Editor huffed, "Is a slave a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?"

"Yes." The Doctor responded immediately.

The Editor frowned, "Oh. I was hoping for a philosophical debate. Is that all I'm going to get? Yes?"

"Yes." He repeated.

"You're no fun." He glanced at Rose, "What about you blondie?"

"By calling them a slave, to begin with, you're asserting that they are in fact a slave." Rose twisted in her manacles.

He grinned at her, "And you're asserting that my perception is the only one that matters. My calling them a slave makes them a slave. I'm flattered." He gestured to one of the screens, it showed busy streets filled with traffic, "They're just cattle. In that respect, the Jagrafess hasn't changed a thing."

Rose saw a flicker of movement from behind the Editor, in the room ahead there was a familiar face. Cathica.

 _What is she doing?_

Her eyes met the Doctor's as nonchalantly as possible, he followed the direction of her gaze and nodded slightly.

"So...Jagrafess." The Doctor drew out, "How exactly did you get involved in this debacle?"

The Editor paused, somewhat surprised by the Doctor's sudden willingness to engage him in conversation. "Being human doesn't pay particularly well. I represent a consortium of banks. Money prefers a long-term investment. Also, the Jagrafess needed a little hand to install himself."

"No kidding." Rose nodded, "He looks like a massive cancerous growth with fangs."

"A creature that size. What's his life span? "The Doctor asked, still tracking Cathica's movement as she settled herself into one of the reclining chairs.

"Three thousand years." The Editor proclaimed proudly.

"That's one hell of a metabolism generating all that heat." The Doctor's face turned upwards. "That's why Satellite Five's so hot. You pump it out of the creature, channel it downstairs. Jagrafess stays cool, it stays alive. Satellite Five is one great big life support system."

The Editor began to grow impatient, pacing back and forth and glancing nervously upwards. "So very, very knowledgeable... But that's why you're so dangerous. Knowledge is power, but you remain unknown. Who are you?" He snapped his fingers. Bright sparks of light flew off of the manacles as jolts of energy coursed through both the Doctor and Rose.

Rose hissed in pain while the Doctor clenched his jaw regarding his companion with worry. "Leave her alone. I'm the Doctor, she's Rose Tyler. We're nothing, we're just wandering."

"Tell me who you are!" The Editor insisted, his eyes brightened when another jolt of energy surged through the manacles. Rose's chest began to ache, she hadn't paid much attention in biology class but she was sure this was a bad sign.

"I just said!" The Doctor protested.

"Yes, but who do you work for? Who sent you? Who knows about us? Who exactly..." He trailed off, tilting his head to the ceiling, listening to the Jagrafess growl. He let out a chuckle. "Time Lord."

The Doctor froze. "What?"

"Oh, yes. The last of the Time Lords in his travelling machine. Oh, with his little human girlfriend from long ago."

"I'm no one's girlfriend." Probably not the part I should be protesting.

"You don't know what you're talking about." The Doctor insisted

The Editor smiled maliciously, "Time travellers, fascinating."

"Someone's been telling you lies."

He shook his head calling up a holographic monitor. It was Adam. He was pinned back in chair shrieking with his head wide open like Cathica's. "Young master Adam Mitchell?"

"Who would do that to them self?" Rose cried out watching Adam writhe in pain.

"What the hell's he done? What the hell's he gone and done?" The Doctor bellowed, "They're reading his mind. He's telling them everything." Anguish was painted across his face, he resumed struggling.

"And through him, I know everything about you." The Editor chimed gleefully. "Every piece of information in his head is now mine. And you have infinite knowledge, Doctor. The Human Empire is tiny compared to what you've seen in you S. TARDIS."

"Well, you'll never get your hands on it. I'll die first.

The Editor regarded Adam coolly before approaching Rose," Is that so, what if I have the key?" He reached for Rose's neck, wrenching the key of the chain she kept it on. He held it up to the Jagrafess like a trophy.

"You and your boyfriends!" The Doctor spat, turning his rage on Rose.

"I told you before, he isn't my boyfriend." She yelled back. She twitched in the manacles as a particularly vicious jolt coursed through her.

"Rose!" He called out worriedly, seeing her go limp in the manacles.

"Today, we are the headlines. We can rewrite history. We could prevent mankind from ever developing."

"And no one's going to stop you because you've bred a human race that doesn't bother to ask questions. Stupid little slaves, believing every lie." The Doctor grimaced, "They'll just trot right into the slaughterhouse if they're told it's made of gold."

The Editor's confidence faltered for a second, bewilderment crossed his face as he heard the Jagrafess snarl again. "What's happening? Someone's disengaged the safety. Who's that?" He called up a new holographic image, one of Cathica seated firmly in the frigid newsroom with piercing light running through her head.

"She's thinking, She's using what she knows." The Doctor taunted the Editor.

"Terminate her access." Panic was beginning to overtake the Editor.

Rose sluggishly raised her head. "What the matter, see something you don't like?"

"Everything I told her about Satellite Five. The pipes, the filters, she's reversing it. Look at that."

Water was beginning to drip down the walls as the temperature started to rapidly increase.

The Editor spun around to yell at Suki's corpse, "I said, terminate. Burn out her mind." Smoke rose from the main console and the ice zombies crumpled over, no longer engaged in their task. All of a sudden the manacles fell open, yanking them off as fast as possible Rose made her way over to the Doctor still struggling with is restraints.

"She's venting the heat up here. The Jagrafess needs to stay cool and now it's sitting on top of a volcano." He told her, grinning widely.

The Editor was yelling out meaningless placations as he shoved Suki out of her seat to operate the console.

Rose reached into the Doctor's pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. She flicked the switch holding it over the manacles which clicked open immediately. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at how easily she operated his screwdriver, she shot him an exasperated look roughly translating to 'not now.'

"I don't think your boss is too fond of the tropical temperatures!" Rose called out behind her as she and the Doctor exited the room. Her last look at the Editor was of him yelling agitatedly and struggling against a frozen Suki.

They made their way over to Cathica, her head still open and eyes screwed shut tightly in concentration. The Doctor closed her forehead with a snap of his fingers and helped her stand.

"We better get out of here." Rose gave Cathica a tentative smile.

0o0o0o0

They had returned to platform one hundred and thirty-nine and parted with Cathica. The floor was relatively quiet compared to the hustle and bustle from earlier, many of the stalls had shut and people wandered around aimlessly.

"Here." The Doctor spoke quietly. Rose's eyes flickered over to the key he offered her, "Thought you might want this back."

Rose's hand closed over the warm metal, affection flooded through her at his thoughtfulness. She was unsure when he'd found the time to take the key back. _Perhaps its a new one, maybe he has an infinite supply._ She placed it in her pocket since the Editor had snapped the chain it had been on. Her hands groped around blindly noticing the absence of her phone.

"My phone's gone." She informed the Doctor.

"Has it?" He asked grimly. The Doctor caught sight of Adam, loitering by of the closed food stalls, he gave a sharp jerk of his head, motioning for Adam to follow.

Adam approached cautiously, giving the Doctor a sheepish smile, "You wouldn't beli-"

The Doctor grabbed his shoulder and partially dragged him back to the TARDIS, "Shut up Adam." His voice was softer than she expected it would be, a low threatening quality.

"Look, it's. It all worked out for the best, didn't it? You know, it's not actually my fault, because you were in charge." He was forcefully shoved into the TARDIS. The Doctor held the door open for Rose, piercing blue eyes promising that this was far from over.

0o0o0o0

Adam crept out of the TARDIS, his arms braced over his face as if he were expecting to be met with blunt force. He removed his arms slowly, glancing around the rather nondescript living room bewilderedly. "It's my house. I'm home! Oh, my God, I'm home!" He let out a shaky laugh. "Blimey. I thought you were going to chuck me out of an airlock."

Rose braced herself against the TARDIS her fingers dug into the solid wood as she attempted to ground herself. The Doctor stood next to her, his shoulders set squarely as he glowered down at Adam. "Is there something else you want to tell me?"

Adam shook his head rapidly, "No. What do you mean?"

The Doctor approached the answering machine. "The archive of Satellite Five. One second of that message could've changed the world." He levelled it with a calculated look before unleashing his screwdriver on it. The machine exploded noisily.

Rose held her hand out demandingly, "Might I have my phone back? You know the one you didn't ask me for."

A conflicted expression crossed Adam's face as he produced the phone from his pocket. He took a set towards Rose then hesitated and took another two steps back. The Doctor gazed at him quizzically. "I must leave Rose Tyler alone." He stated with a blank expression.

The Doctor sighed, "What's this rubbish? Just give it here." He snatched it off of Adam with a look that clearly questioned his sanity. "That's it, then. See you."

Adam's face twisted, "How do you mean, see you?"

"As in goodbye." He responded brusquely.

"No, no, no, you can't leave me, not with this." He jabbed a finger into the centre of his forehead.

The Doctor laughed harshly, "What, like this?" He snapped his fingers.

Adam, frantically clicked his own fingers, "Don't."

"Don't do what?" Adam's head opened up again.

"Stop it!" Adam cried out, closing it immediately.

Rose watched them passively; she certainly didn't feel like leaping to Adam's defence. The self-proclaimed genius continued to beg the Doctor, arguing the righteousness of his actions

"I'm not taking you with me." The Doctor stated firmly. "Do you have any idea how irritating you are, barging in where you're not wanted, selfishly taking whatever you want."

"Not to mention setting your sights on the TARDIS." Rose added, taking almost a sadistic glee in watching Adam squirm.

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked her.

"Oh you know, Adam reckons he could steal the TARDIS off of you and fly about doing as he pleases."

He fixed his darkened gaze on Adam, "I didn't think it was possible for you to sink any lower. Now than Rose has seen fit to relinquish any possible attachment to you I don't want to spend a moment more in your presence. Stay away from us both and lead a very quiet life, 'cause if you show that head to anyone, they'll dissect you in seconds."

Adam nodded, his protests dying down abruptly. "Yes, I will stay away from Rose."

The Doctor frowned at his compliance, "Right, bye then."

Feeling extremely unnerved, Rose followed the Doctor into the TARDIS. Adam had apparently taken her earlier words to heart in a very literal manner. She wondered if this was normal standoffish behaviour in response to a break-up, not that we were actually dating.

0o0o0o0

The Doctor stood in the console room waiting for Rose. He rubbed the top of his head in frustration. He met her eyes with a sad smile. "I think we're too alike sometimes."

Rose's legs started to feel shaky. There was no Adam anymore, no chair to keep the roaring lion at bay. "In what way?"

"We'd both rather run from our problems." Because that's what Adam was, the Doctor didn't have to say his name to convey his point, he'd always known what Adam was. "My offer to help you Rose is genuine."

"You look at me like you want to solve me. Like I'm a puzzle or a toy that needs fixing." Rose bit out, her fist clenched tightly, as she circled the Doctor. "You're always waiting for the next anomaly, is that all I am?"

The Doctor moved closer, warm green light played across his face. He reached his hand out to her an offer, not taking, grasping or stealing. Not Adam. Tentatively Rose placed her trembling hand in his.

"You're none of those things. I-I saw your distress after seeing the Dalek." His other hand reached out to card through her tangled hair. "As your friend I am concerned. I know I may not show it conventionally, I'm more the type to look for a practical solution than to console someone."

"You're consoling me now." She murmured, trying not to lean into his touch.

He hummed, "I suppose I am." His hand dropped from her hair and he squeezed her hand tightly. "You can always tell me to back off, to stop prying. I'm invested for your benefit Rose not my own. If you need space I'll understand. I'm hardly the quintessential example of someone with healthy coping habits."

 _Wrong, abomination._ Words whispered angrily in her head. She forced them back.

"I don't think I want to talk about it." Rose didn't want to tell him about the Dalek's pain or Gwyneth's horror, praying for mercy on her behalf. She didn't want to tell him how she suspected there was something secretly malignant about her, didn't want to see him reject her the same way.

He released her hand ruefully, "And that's your prerogative. Just because I am obsessively compelled to fix things doesn't mean you can't say no. That's my problem, trying to fix things to make up for...well, I suppose there are some things I'd rather not talk about." His eyes took on a faraway look.

"No more buffers Rose, just be honest with me."

Rose's breathing started to calm down. Maybe in time, it would be easier to talk to him.

Maybe in time the nagging voice in the back of her head would cease warning her away from trusting the Doctor.


	9. Father's Day: Or a Rose too many

Things had been quiet since Adam had left.

Rose had been doing a lot of thinking. Since she'd declined the Doctor's offer to talk about her problems thinking was all she had.

The problem with looking back on a situation was that no matter how well you thought you remembered it you could easily be wrong, emotion, stereotypes, later information all played a part. There were words for that, 'reconstructive memory' she'd seen them in a dumb psych article her Mum kept on her dresser when she was going through one of her phases.

She'd been badly shaken by the Dalek and had been in numerous stressful situations. She was clearly connecting a bunch of unrelated points. Gwyneth was batty enough to believe in her 'angels', the Dalek was half insane, she was not a bad person.

 _Manipulating Adam wasn't the actions of a 'nice person.'_

No one is perfect.

In fact, Adam was the crazy one. He'd wanted them to fly off together with a stolen time machine. _At least he relented after I spoke to him._ This too was odd, too easy. Adam's blank face flashed to the front of her mind as he readily agreed to her telling him to leave her alone.

Things were never that simple. Rose should know, Jimmy Stone was a prime example.

 _What does it mean to be a good person?_

Rose didn't think she necessarily acted like a bad person. She didn't always have the kindest thoughts about others. And there were moments where she felt unlike herself, free of inhibition and so _angry_. Surely everyone had moments like that.

The Doctor had stopped provoking her. He no longer looked to encourage abnormal responses. It was almost as if he had wiped the matter of her supposed telepathy from his mind completely. Something she was thankful for. She suspected that the Doctor knew a thing or two about ignoring unpleasant memories.

She found herself pondering often about what the Doctor thought of her, the strange human he'd picked up who knew too much without adequate explanation. No doubt he was upset over the 'Adam debacle' the sequel of 'the incident'.

 _What does one term 'normal behaviour?'_ Rose hadn't made any requests to return to visit her mother and the Doctor hadn't asked if she wanted too. A normal human separated from their family would surely long for connection. Rose wasn't normal, although, she was curious.

It was this train of thought that lead her to do something uncharacteristically stupid.

0o0o0o0o0

"Your Dad?" The Doctor asked incredulously.

Rose bristled, "What's wrong with that?"

The Doctor had been doing routine maintenance when she approached him about visiting Pete Tyler before his demise. Admittedly she had sprung this on him out of the blue, they'd been orbiting some random star with a long and complicated name for a couple of days.

He was frowning at her. She suspected this was his default expression.

"Why?" He spoke bluntly.

Rose tugged one of the seats in the control room closer to her, running her nails over the material, scrapping too hard as she thought about his question. "I just never knew him. You have a time machine, right." She looked around and gestured ostentatiously. "I didn't think it would be that big a deal, what human wouldn't want to go back and see their dead father?"

The Doctor's eyes noticeably narrowed at the word 'human.' Rose herself could admit it was a strange way to qualify her actions. "Of course we can if that's what you want." He spoke lowly, "We can go anywhere, do anything. You just didn't seem...that close with your family."

A faraway look crossed Rose's face. "I used to be close...with my Mum that is. She was all I really had, her and Mickey." She smirked at the distasteful look the Doctor shot at her, "I guess things changed, I changed. It doesn't mean I don't want to know what kind of a person my Dad was, I never really had the chance. Mum said he died when I was a baby."

The Doctor gave a mocking bow, "Your wish is my command." His joviality belied the solemn way he concluded his statement. "But be careful what you wish for."

Rose idly wondered how far the Doctor would go if she asked him. Not a matter of space or time but effort. What would he be willing to do, what would be too much? She shook the errant thoughts away vigorously.

0o0o0o0

The Doctor had first offered to take her to a happier moment in time in her father's life. Rose knew where they would inevitably end up.

Her parent's wedding wasn't all that happy. Her mother, the radiant bride had seemed particularly frustrated. Rose didn't know what to think of her father, not as tall as she thought he'd be, thinning reddish hair and an inability to remember his bride's full name. Half of Rose's DNA, the parent that could have been.

He didn't seem to slot into the nostalgic stories her mother would spout when she'd been at the gin. An 'idyllic couple' young and in love.

The Doctor ignored the proceedings at the front of the room, watching Rose as if entirely uninterested in his surroundings. Rose often found his eyes on her. She didn't know how to feel about that, they felt like expectation and unanswered questions.

Rose wondered if he was even aware he was at a wedding. A loud cheer from the crowd rung out, snapping him out of his perpetual staring he blinked at the people around him as if he had forgotten they were there.

0o0o0o0

November 7th, 1987. The day that Pete Tyler died. She knew the story well.

The air was cool but not frigid. There was a slight breeze and warm sunlight leaking through the trees in the park nearby to where the TARDIS was parked. A completely ordinary day. Rose could feel the light stirring of trepidation. What was she doing here? She had to be out of her mind to think that watching her Dad get run over was something she wanted to see.

"Jordan Road." She stated as calmly as possible, "Mum said he was late to a wedding. He bought some dumb vase." A green van came around the corner, her eyes scanned the road, hyper-aware. "He got out of his car." She swallowed as she saw the van pull up, her Dad stepping out. "He crossed the street." She forced the words out. She felt lightheaded, it was all unreal, a disconnect between what she was seeing and reality itself.

The Doctor stared ahead grimly, his eyes returned to Rose. Always Rose. He offered his hand. She clutched on to it gratefully, warm and secure. Her father continued across the road calmly, completely unaware of his fate. Her stomach clenched. A beige car came tearing around the corner, slamming straight into Pete Tyler sending sprawled across the road amongst the shards of the broken vase.

Rose stared ahead in horror, her legs shook uncontrollably. The Doctor squeezed her hand, "Go to him, quick." She glanced back at the Doctor. As much as she tried she couldn't peel her hand away from his, she couldn't force her legs to move. She felt weak, disgusting, betrayed by her own body.

Suddenly she could move again. She bolted away in the opposite direction. The solid sound of footsteps thundered after her as she halted abruptly.

The wail of sirens filled the air. She didn't know how long she had been stood there. She didn't know how long the Doctor had tried to gain her attention.

"I couldn't do it." She muttered. His head snapped back to face her, "He died alone and I just stood there."

The whole universe stretched out before her, the potential for anything in her future. Untold delights awaited her and she chose to stand here in a grotty grey street watching her father gasp out his last breathes. She'd faced zombies, deranged robots and one particularly narcissistic flap of skin without regard for her own safety but when it came to something practically mundane in comparison she was helpless.

One shaky hand reached into her pocket, her thumb stroked the warm metal of her watch while she took deep calming breaths. _What do I do?_ She asked herself. _We can do anything we want, take anything we want;_ an unreasonably calm part of her whispered back. She shuddered.

Her eyes found the Doctor's icy ones, eyes that had seen countless horrors. She could read the guilt in his face as sure as she could feel her own pain. "Can I try again?" She whispered, her voice cracking.

The Doctor could only stare back at her helplessly before slowly nodding.

Rose wondered if perhaps he wasn't exaggerating before when he claimed her wishes were his commands.

0o0o0o0

This time they stood further around the corner. Watching the second set of themselves parade around in front was decidedly eerie.

The Doctor was twitching slightly, regarding their doppelgangers warily. "This isn't good." He murmured. "Two sets of us being here at the same time. Just be careful they don't see us. Wait till she runs off and he follows, then go to your dad.

Rose watched the way her past self stiffened, gripping tightly to her friend's hand. From here she could truly appreciate the worry radiating off of the Doctor. He hadn't liked being there. He didn't like being here again now.

"You don't have to do anything." He reminded her soothingly, "But this is the last time we can be here."

Anticipation started to build. Rose feared that her body would freeze again. She clutched at her watch again, running her thumbnail over the patterns firmly. _We can do anything we want, take anything we want._ She didn't have to stand there and do nothing, thinking was the enemy she had to act.

The wind whipped around her, her hair flew in her face. She was running.

She barely registered the Doctor yelling behind her. She didn't see their doppelgangers regard her in shock before fading away. Her body slammed into her father, pushing him out of the way of the beige car.

They fell in a heap, her breath came out harshly like she'd run a marathon. Pete blinked up at her in surprise pinned beneath her body.

"I did it, I saved you." Rose rambled senselessly. Her mind refused to compute the connotations.

Pete blinked, shifting slightly. Numbly Rose pulled herself up, offering her hand. Pete rose to his feet dusting off his suit whilst gazing around the road in amazement. "Blimey, did you see the speed of it? Did you get his number?"

Rose stared at the man in front of her, her father. Alive.

A piercing pain filled her head, a high pitched frequency rang out. This was wrong, wrong, wrong.

"Are you alright, love?" He asked her, noticing her grimace. Rose breathed out shakily, nodding her head as the pain faded away.

"I did it. I saved you. I didn't think..." She trailed off.

Pete scoffed, "Give me some credit, I did see it coming. I wasn't going to walk under it, was I."

Rose's laughter had a hysterical quality to it. She noticed that the Doctor was approaching. A curl of fear raced up her spine. His expression was cold, murderous. A look he reserved for his enemies, familiar but not. _I didn't do anything wrong, I saved him._

"I'm Rose, by the way." She introduced herself. He shook her hand. She smiled at him expectantly.

"That's a pretty name." He commented, a faraway look entered his eye, "I always thought if I had...never mind." He scooped down to pick up his vase, he gave it a cursory look over for cracks. "Right, I'd better shift. I've got a wedding to go to."

"Sarah Clarke's," Rose stated immediately, she chided herself as she saw surprise flicker across her father's face.

"Yeah, you going?" He queried.

"I guess."

He tilted his head towards the Doctor who now stood behind her seething silently. "Do you and your boyfriend need a lift?"

She dare not look up at him as something warm squirmed in her chest, heat raced to her cheeks.

0o0o0o0

Rose looked around the flat curiously. It was exceedingly cramped, littered with boxes and bulky contraptions. She wasn't quite sure why she'd followed Pete Tyler home, especially since she thought they were heading to a church. The Doctor hadn't spoken a word at all on the way to the flat. She could practically taste the ozone in the air, like a gathering storm.

"Right, there we go. Sorry about the mess. If you want a cup of tea, the kitchens just down there, milk's in the fridge." Pete called out as he rummaged through a cupboard looking for who knows what. "Well, it would be, wouldn't it. Where else would you put the milk?" He continued, "Mind you, there's always the window sill outside. I always thought if someone invented a window sill with special compartments, you know, one for milk, one for yoghurt, make a lot of money out of that. Sell it to students and things. I should write that down." He babbled, "Anyway, never mind that, excuse me for a minute. Got to go and change." He wandered off, leaving her alone with the Doctor.

Some insane corner of her mind mourned the loss of Adam. The mourning didn't last long.

"Well, let's have it." Rose sighed

A muscle in his jaw ticked. "When we met, I said travel with me in space. You said no. Then I said time machine."

"Yes." She said sarcastically, "Me agreeing to come with you was all part of a cunning plan."

"It wouldn't surprise me." He muttered darkly.

Rose flinched, "What exactly is that supposed to mean!"

The Doctor flung his arm out angrily, gesturing at her. "Number one, you're secretive all the time" He held up two fingers, "Number two, you know things you shouldn't that even telepathy can't explain." He exhaled harshly, "And now you've gone and done this, just like that idiot Adam you revile. It's not about showing you the universe. It never is. It's about the universe doing something for you."

Rose felt fury rise in her, "For me! I never even knew the man. There you go sailing off into space, saving people arbitrarily because you can. You're acting like I've just committed mass murder."

He slammed his hand into the table, the bottles rattled angrily and rolled off onto the carpet. Rose dare not to think of the consequences of screaming at the Doctor.

"I did it again. I picked another stupid ape." He spat out.

Rose's eyes watered. Her head thudded angrily. _Ape, stupid ape. I'm not an ape, how dare he._ His words filled her with revulsion.

"What gives you the right to decide that my Dad has to die?"

"I'm not making the decision." He answered in frustration, "Two sets of us being there made that a vulnerable point. It created an anomaly, an error. There's a man alive in the world who wasn't alive before. An ordinary man. That's the most important thing in creation. The whole world's different because he's alive."

"And you didn't think to explain that."

"I didn't think you'd act like a reckless idiot." He snapped back. "My entire planet died. My whole family. Do you think it never occurred to me to go back and save them?"

 _Da da day dum...Da da day dum..._

"You're a Time Lord, all of time and space at your disposal and you're a fucking coward." She sucked in a breath sharply, wishing desperately to recall the words that forced themselves past her lips. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw a blank mask descend across the Doctor's face.

"Alright then. If you're so much better off without me and my interfering give me the key."

She gaped at him silently. Her regret dwindled away replaced by such intense dislike it made her feel dizzy. "All right then, I will." She pulled it off her neck, holding it by the chain between her thumb and finger as if it were something dirty. He snatched it off of her with a glower.

"You've got what you wanted, so that's goodbye, then." He forced out coldly, indifferently. He headed for the door.

"Run then, why don't you. That's what you're best at." Her voice shook and broke slightly on the last word.

The door slammed shut.

 _Oh God, what have I done?_

She rebuked herself for getting so angry. There was something about the Doctor's bitter rejection, mockingly calling her an 'ape' that infuriated her. She wanted to hurt him. She called him a coward.

He wasn't coming back.

He's left her.

Alone.

She choked back a sob, sniffing angrily into the sleeve of her jacket. _What do I do now?_

Her father poked his head around the door. His cheeks were flushed and he peered at her sheepishly. "Boyfriend trouble?"

As if her problems could ever be so mundane, monotonous. She flung herself down on the couch staring hopelessly out of the window.

Pete cleared his throat, "Don't worry about him. Couples have rows all the time."

Rose blinked at him, "What makes you think we're a couple?"

He pursed his lips thoughtfully, "I think it's the way he watches you." She raised an eyebrow sceptically," Not pervy like, no. Like you're the centre of gravity or something. Ignore me; I'm a bit of a romantic."

She filed that away, deep down in the box labelled 'Things I don't want to think about without a stiff drink.'

"He's gone." She murmured tonelessly. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do without him. I just kind of dropped everything and followed him off into the unknown. And he left me here in 1987." She scratched her nails over her watch frowning. She decided then that she wasn't going to mope pathetically, waiting for him. _I'll make him rue the day he left me behind._ The words buzzed around angrily in her head like agitated hornets.

"1987? What's that supposed to mean?" Pete asked. Rose stared at him, she wondered if she looked hard enough if she would be able to see his feeble mind at work, computing facts he could barely accept.

She had had such a strong emotional reaction to his death. At least she thought she had. She was supposed to feel that way. Looking at her father now she could only feel an alien sense of disconnection between them. This was the man she'd jeopardised her relationship with the Doctor for.

Rose hated that she resented her own father.

Rose wondered if her actions were more due to her feelings of helplessness than a sense of kinship with this man. "Nothing. I meant nothing."

Pete gave her a sceptical glance, "Right, I guess we better be off then. Jackie's going to screech at me 'till I'm deaf. I'm already pretty late."

Rose just nodded apathetically and followed him out of the flat.

0o0o0o0

He was not a coward. He'd done everything he could to help his people. He'd made choices that he'd never wish upon anyone else. How had Rose known what words would cut him the deepest?

Anger was something he could deal with. Rose had made a stupid choice and his response was natural. She hadn't felt the universe stutter, it scream in defiance at the slight blip in reality. His head was still ringing from the onslaught.

Anger helped mask the guilt. His guilt over his repeated promise not to leave her. His promise that he was going to help her. He'd thrown that all in her face when he accused her of keeping secrets from him. After he told her that he was going to be supportive and not push her when she was clearly uncomfortable discussing it.

He didn't know what had frightened her so much about her encounter with the Dalek. Leading to her enlisting the dubious service of Adam Mitchell.

Rose was scared, distraught and clearly blamed herself the first time she saw her father die. He should have said no when she asked to try again. It was just so damn hard to deny her when she stared at him beseechingly.

He'd felt flattered. Flattered that she had no clear concept of the outer limits of his abilities, thinking him capable of anything.

He should have warned her.

He should have torn down her high expectations of him. Shown her what a disappointment he was. He was no hero. She thought it was their job to save people. She didn't know better.

And he'd yelled at her. Degraded her.

It was only natural she'd spit her venom coated words back.

He'd once known a man willing to twist the laws of time and space to his advantage for his own selfish purposes.

Rose wasn't selfish. He didn't think she knew how to be with her apparent fear of doing the wrong thing.

His fist slammed angrily into the door of the TARDIS. He corrupted everything he touched, he'd even corrupted _him,_ twisting him into something bitter and filled with hate.

He cast his eyes down to the key clenched tightly in his fist. It cut into his palm painfully. _Good._ Rose's key. With a heavy sigh, he opened the TARDIS door.

It was empty.

Correction, it contained a phone. A phone and nothing else. An ordinary Police Public Call Box. As ordinary as one could be in this time. The inner ship was gone. Something was very wrong.

He turned around in a panic, calling out Rose's name fruitlessly.

He'd already sent her away.

0o0o0o0

Rose sat in the car silently, brooding. Pete kept throwing worried glances at her. Rose didn't know what to say to him, she'd lived all her life without a father and the man before her didn't know what he meant to her.

She idly watched the wind rustle through the trees. It was unnervingly quiet outside, no traffic, no children playing in the park. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw someone staring at her. She fixed her eyes on the shrinking spot. A blonde woman in a black trench coat faded away into the distance.

She shook her head, chiding her paranoia. Now, she was beginning to convince herself she was in a cliché spy novel, what next?

Pete fiddled with the radio, trying to fill the awkward silence. He seemed to be scrutinising the road with a great deal of care, likely sensitive due to his earlier experience in the day. His eyes narrowed as he noticed a beige car in his rear mirror.

Rose found herself absentmindedly humming along to the song.

"A bit modern for me," Pete commented.

She looked up at him quizzically. "Modern, this came out..." She trailed off. _Wow, it was modern, too modern for the 80s._

"I'm just going to check my messages." Rose peered at her phone.

Pete craned his neck, looking over at her, "How do you mean, messages? Is that a phone?"

She was doing a terrible job of trying to be incognito while stuck in the wrong time for God knows how long. She clicked on the voicemail curiously.

"Watson, come here. I need you. Watson, come here. I need you. Watson, come here. I need you." _Who's that supposed to be?_ She tried not to be disappointed that it wasn't the Doctor.

The beige car suddenly sped up and swerved in front of them. In a panic, Pete twisted the wheel sending them careening into the curb. Without thinking Rose let out a yelp, turning to Pete in horror, "Dad!" The car let out a groan as it stalled, its tyres scraped viciously against the curb. Rose's body jolted forward, restrained by the seatbelt and she was slammed back into her seat violently.

"It's that car. Same one as before." Her father cried out, "Bloody driver s'out to kill me."

0o0o0o0

Rose listened to him rant as she walked beside him coming up to the old church. A number of people in fancy attire were milling about outside. As they drew closer Rose spotted her mother in the crowd.

"It was right in front of us. Where's he gone?" Pete paused. "You called me Dad. What'd you say that for?" Rose hesitated, unwilling to answer.

She didn't have to. Her mother had spotted them. She strode forward with a familiar look of defiance and hair curlier than a permed poodle. She glared at Pete angrily, "Oh, wonderful. Here he is, the accident waiting to happen. You'd be late for your own funeral and it nearly was!" Jackie turned her glare to the road where they'd narrowly avoided a collision.

"No damage done." He raised his hands in a placating gesture.

Her mother shot her an unimpressed look, "And who's this? What're you looking at with your mouth open?"

Rose felt the beginnings of a smile, no matter what time they were in she could always rely on her mother to be the same. "You just remind me of someone."

"Oh, and who's that then." She poked Pete's shoulder aggressively, "I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to parade one of your flings around at a family event. The shame of it." She hissed.

Pete started to protest, Jackie cut him off sharply, Well?"

Rose's heart thudded loudly, she'd been put on the spot enough for one day. "Just my Mum." She stuttered out. She gave Jackie a hesitant smile. "I'm sure you're a wonderful mother."

Jackie's expression turned thunderous as she smacked Pete, "What have you being telling her?" She waved a finger at Rose menacingly, "Trying to rub it in my face that that incompetent pig can't get me up the duff. Him and all that rubbish? You bring home cut-price detergents, tonic water, Betamax tapes and none of it works. I'm drowning in your rubbish. What did he tell you? Did he say he's this big businessman, 'cos he's not. He's a failure. Born failure, that one. Pete stared at them both in horror, "What else have you being telling your girlfriend?"

Rose stared at her uncomprehendingly. It couldn't be possible. "I thought you had a baby."

Jackie snorted unattractively, "A right joker this one, where did you find her. How old is she, you picking them up out of day care now are you?" She spun on her heel towards the church, "Come on, if you're not careful, there'll be a wedding and a divorce on the same day."

 _How was that possible. Jackie should have had a baby by now._ Was she seriously claiming that Rose didn't exist? _It didn't make any sense_. Even if for some insane convoluted reason her mother had mixed up her date of birth _by months_ it wouldn't account for this. This was the day her father was supposed to die.

Rose thought back on the Doctor's mention of consequences and weak points in time. Surely she couldn't have messed up so badly that she'd wiped herself out of existence.

No. That made no sense. She had to have been conceived prior to her father's death at least. Saving his life should have no bearing on her own.

She needed to see the Doctor. The thought filled her with a mixture of painful longing and regret. She shoved her feelings aside. As always.

Pete looked irritated. "What were you doing, spouting all that crap." He let out a groan, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. "I guess you didn't know that kids are a bit of a sensitive spot with her. Christ knows we've tried." He shook his head, "I shouldn't even be telling you this, you're a complete stranger."

Rose's chest tightened. Rejection.

The only halfway logical explanation she could come up with was adoption. It was possible that her mother could have adopted her after Pete died. Yes, that made sense.

That meant Pete wasn't even her father. She'd thrown away the Doctor's respect for nothing. She glowered at the oblivious man. All Rose knew was if she ever ended up back in her time, she'd be having a long talk with her mother.

Rose trailed after Pete who'd sped up and continued to protest his innocence, falling on deaf ears. Jackie stalked ahead occasionally glaring at Rose as if her husband's supposed indiscretions were her fault.

A small dark-haired child came hurtling towards them, as he passed he cried out, "Monsters! Going to eat us!" One of the guests laughed mockingly at the child. The child continued to run straight into the church. Rose watched him in concern.

"Rose! Get in the church!" A terrified voice yelled behind her. She spun around, the Doctor was running towards her. A large creature with bat-like wings appeared in the sky behind him in a flash of light. Crimson eyes settled on her, it let out a screech and started to swoop down. Closer up she noticed that it looked strong, muscles pulled taut under greyish brown flesh and long tendrils splayed outwards. She didn't have time to be relieved over the Doctor's presence, she only had time to react, to run.

One of the guests screamed and readjusted her skirt and hat as she ran. _Some people have no sense or priority._ "Oh, my God. What are they? What are they?" The woman wailed.

"Inside!" The Doctor snapped, herding them in through the door. An elderly gentleman tried to run in the opposite direction, blocked by one of the bat-menaces of doom. It pounced on him, wrapping its enormous wings around him. The man was devoured in a burst of light.

The doors slammed shut behind them. The Doctor shoved his body weight against the door. A scream of defiance rang out from the creature as it pounded against the door to no avail. Rose saw them fly past the windows, great talons clawing at the ancient stone work.

"They can't get in. Old windows and doors." He rapped his knuckles on the door that didn't seem all that physically sturdy. "Okay. The older something is, the stronger it is. What else?" He turned to Jackie and a man nervously playing with the boutonniere on his suit. "Go and check the other doors! Move!"

Rose's nails dug into one of the wooden benches. She'd done this, she was responsible for the deaths of those people. Her thoughtless actions had lead to this. _Monster...Abomination..._ Her chest felt tight and she tried to fight against the urge to cry. She didn't deserve to feel sorry, she had to fix this.

"What's happening? What are they? What are they?" Cried out Jackie, turning this way and that as if expecting to find the creatures in the building with them.

The Doctor was refusing to look at her. Somehow this was worse than his ire being directed at her.

"There's been an accident in time. A wound in time. They're like bacteria, taking advantage." He announced.

Jackie spluttered, "What do you mean, time? What're you jabbering on about, time?" She said the word 'time' incredulously. The Doctor rolled his eyes and continued to scan the doors and windows with his screwdriver, "Oh, I might've known you'd argue. Jackie, I'm sick of you complaining."

"How do you know my name?"

Jackie continued to bicker with the Doctor until he grasped her by the shoulders and injected as much authority into his voice as possible, "If you don't mind, I've waited a long time to say this. Jackie Tyler, do as I say. Go and check the doors."

Visibly shaken she nodded, "Yes, sir."

The Doctor briefly caught Rose's eye smirking slightly, "I should have done that ages ago." For a moment he'd seemingly forgotten they were at odds with each other. His brow creased when Rose turned away refusing to mirror his look of amusement.

He moved away to console the groom. The groom pulled out an absurdly big phone, waving it at the Doctor, they discussed the unusual message. Rose dimly remembered hearing the same message whilst in the car. The rest of the conversation happening around her blurred. She was such a screw-up, he'd never forgive her now.

"But someone must have called the police." The groom blurted out.

The Doctor shook his head, "Police can't help you now. No one can. Nothing in this universe can harm those things. Time's been damaged and they've come to sterilise the wound. By consuming everything inside."

Rose scrunched up even smaller in her seat. "I did this." She met the Doctor's eyes, "Didn't I."

The Doctor hesitated but didn't answer her question. Instead, he walked over to the vestry where her father had last been seen. Not her father.

Rose got to her feet and wandered up to the alter. Her eyes fell on the beautiful stained glass biblical depictions above her. She'd never been particularly religious but she'd be oh so happy to be proven wrong by a miracle around about now.

Pete Tyler came up behind her. He had his hands thrust in his pockets and was looking her over from head to toe. "That Not-Boyfriend of yours." Rose wrinkled her nose at him, "What did he mean, this is your fault. You're not like the leader of those creatures are you?" He shot a look at her back as if expecting her to sprout wings.

"I did something stupid. Now everyone is paying the price." She replied forlornly.

"You called me Dad earlier." He reminded her, "You keep talking about what year it is and you've got this advanced technology."

"It was a mistake. This was all a mistake."

"He said there was a wound in time." He paused, "You kept talking to Jackie like you knew her, you mentioned a child like you were certain. You were so confused afterwards. I know she thought you were being a bitch about it but you really did think we had a kid didn't you?"

Rose's head was so muddled. Given the dire set of circumstances it hardly mattered now, what was the point preserving what was left of the timeline? She'd managed to screw it over beyond repair anyway.

"I know I'm not the brightest, but there are all these inconsistencies. And you were so certain." He scrutinised her downcast face, "I may have totally gone off the deep end but it all kind of reminds me of those sci-fi films." He caught her chin, tilting her head upwards. "Are you our daughter, from the future."

Rose pulled his hand away. "You're crazy. Who says things like that? Jackie said it herself, you apparently can't have kids."

"But you're so like her!" He insisted, "You have her attitude, and you kind of stick out around here." He was silent for a moment. "Maybe you're right, all this stress is getting to me." He wiped away the beading sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand.

He sat down on the window seat, gazing idly out of the window as if it were just another ordinary day. "What am I like, as a Dad?" he prodded. "Jacks' and I always liked the name 'Rose' for a kid."

"You're not my father," Rose stated agitatedly, technically it wasn't a lie as she was neither biologically related nor raised by this man. Despite limited information to suggest the conclusion he came to, Rose had to admit that the man was perceptive. She supposed she was rather similar to Jackie whether that was nature or nurture. It was always possible that her mother had gotten knocked up after Pete died but that would still throw her age off.

"Say you're right and I am your daughter. How exactly do you think I got here." She asked reluctantly.

He shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, "Would it be cliché to guess 'time machine?'" He pointed outside towards the creatures, "Your friend kept talking about time, did you know those things were coming?"

"No." She admitted, "I didn't think this would happen." She wasn't outright confirming his theories but since she was no longer objecting Pete looked more secure in his conclusion.

The child from earlier came hurtling into the vestry, attaching himself to Rose immediately. She regarded the child with surprise, unsure how to peel the little limpet off.

"Mickey!" Cried out an annoyed voice.

"Pete quirked an eyebrow at the child. "Do you know him?"

"Sort of."

Jackie stalked into the room and tried to coax Mickey away. She kept eying Rose with distrust. "He just grabs hold of what's passing and holds on for dear life. God help his poor girlfriend if he ever gets one." Her mother gave Mickey a pat on the back and directed him out of the room.

"Me and Rose were just talking," Pete announced hastily. Jealousy flashed across her mother's face, "Oh, yeah? Talking? While the world comes to an end, what do you do? Cling to the youngest blonde." She huffed and left.

"You're not thinking of telling her are you?" Rose asked worriedly.

Pete grinned back. "I didn't think there was anything to tell."

"Oh, shut up."

"That's no way to talk to your Dad." He chided.

0o0o0o0

Rose entered the main hall of the church, the Doctor was finally alone, his eyes scowered the windows ever vigilantly.

"I don't exist her,." Rose commented.

The Doctor's eyes snapped to her instantly, his brow creased in worry. "What do you mean?"

"Jackie and Pete never had a kid, at least not yet."

He scanned her with his screwdriver, biting his lip furiously, "There's no temporal disturbances around you, no flickering, no fading." He thought for a moment, "Maybe she adopted you."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

A hardened look returned to his face, "At least you're not incompetent enough to wipe yourself out of existence, while you're at it."

Rose's face crumpled, "I should go. Before I screw anything else up." She turned away, ignoring his calling after her.

 _Sure, he showed concern for her life when those 'things' attacked. But it doesn't mean he wants me around. Hell, he wanted to leave me in this time and that was before we knew how bad the consequences were._

Rose returned to the vestry where Pete was hiding out from his wife. He smiled at her approach, patting the seat next to him. "You, er, you never said why you came here in the first place. If I had a time machine, I wouldn't have thought 1987 was anything special. Not round here, anyway."

Rose shrugged, "We're just travellers, we end up wherever."

"Lucky for me, eh? If you hadn't been there to save me."

Rose swallowed, "Yeah, lucky you."

"So, in the future, are me and her indoors still together?"

Rose tilted her head forward, hiding her face in her hair, "I wouldn't presume to know."

"Am I a good Dad?" He frowned, wondering if there was another reason for her reticence.

Rose smiled at him weakly, "I'm sure you'll be a great dad. Telling bedtime stories, going off on picnics in the country on Saturdays, someone you can rely on."

Pete gazed at her sadly, "That's not me, is it?"

"Well, this is a cosy little gathering." Chimed a cool female voice.

Both of them turned around only to face someone disturbingly familiar.

It was like seeing a photo of yourself inverted, like hearing your own voice on a recording and being unable to recognise it, too high, too low, not right. The woman before them was unquestionably Rose Tyler.

She leaned against the side of the door regarding them both coldly. This other Rose wore a long black trench coat that the current Rose didn't think she'd be seen dead in. She also wore some kind of weird waistcoat tunic thing in a deep magenta. Rose redirected her attention to her doppelganger's face, slightly older, with longer hair. Her eyes were unfamiliar, colder, alien.

It was utterly unnerving. For a second she wondered if this was some kind of glitch, after all, she had seen her's and the Doctor's earlier copy earlier. But this was different, her but not her.

The other Rose arched an eyebrow and walked further into the room. Her hands fidgeted by her side, fiddling with something around her wrist. "Not going to say anything?"

The present Rose stepped in front of Pete defensively, she wasn't sure how much danger this other version of her presented. "How is this possible, who are you? Are you some kind of shape shifter, an alternate version of me..." She started to rattle off possible explanations.

The version of her in the trench coat yawned, "I'd forgotten how 'limited' we used to be." She looked around, "1987, didn't think I'd wind up here again."

"There goes your plausible deniability about time travel." Pete asserted jokingly, looking back and forth between the two versions of Rose.

"Quite." The other Rose smirked, "Poor poor you, so confused and alone. You have no idea what's in store for you do you?"

"Tell me!" Rose demanded.

Her mirror image laughed in delight, "So feisty...so human..." her counterpart analysed her, "I'm you of course, well not all you, more than you really, much more in fact."

Rose's mind whirled, what could her future self possibly be doing here. Had she really screwed up so badly that her future self was here to fix up her messes? Rose couldn't help but feel concerned about how blasé her other self was acting whilst they were in such a perilous situation.

Her other self watched Rose reach into her pockets and fiddle with her watch, a curious expression crossed her face. "If you need help, all you have to do is ask." Rose froze blushing red, of course, her future self would know about her habit of playing with her watch while thinking of a solution to a particularly difficult situation. "And I am here to help, to help me anyway. There's a past pesky little mistake I'm here to rub out."

Her counterpart offered her hand. Rose hesitated for a moment before pushing her doubts aside, what did she have to fear from herself. She needed all the help she could get, she'd already jeopardised so many lives.

Rose closed her hand around its twin. Pain raced thrugh her skull.

There was a loud crashing noise and a shriek.

Rose pulled her hand away staring at her counterpart in horror.

"Oops." She giggled, covering her mouth coyly.

Rose ran to the main hall. One of the bat-like creatures had materialised in the air.

"Doctor!" She cried out in warning.

The Time Lord gathered the crowd behind him shielding them, "Everyone, behind me! I'm the oldest thing in here." He tried to avoid the creature but it was too late, leathery wings wrapped around him and he was no more. The creature let out another screech and dematerialised.

The TARDIS key fell to the ground. Rose stooped to pick it up. She had no right to touch this, no right at all.

The other guests congregated together, whispering furiously about what they'd just seen. The bride was wailing while her husband-unlikely-to-be comforted her.

Rose tore back into the vestry room.

"What happened," Pete asked urgently.

"One of those things appeared, it-it k-killed the Doctor," Rose managed to stutter out, tears started to well in her eyes.

"Oh here we go, she's going to blubber about it." Crowed her future self dramatically.

"You!" Rose hissed, "You knew this would happen."

"Obviously." She snorted, "There's already a weak point in time, two versions of me running around still. Bam!" She clapped her hands together, "Our little paradox gave those creatures a little boost. I'm surprised they left so soon. I suppose it's only a matter of time before they all break in for good."

Rose was heartbroken. How could a version of her want to hurt the Doctor, kill the Doctor?

"Why?" Pete asked, "Why would you help kill one of the only people with any idea what's going on around here? What did he ever do to you?"

Her older selves' face contorted into disgusts, "His sins are numerous." Her eyes flickered to Rose, "I'm saving you a lot of trouble, he really knows how to get into your head. You think he's your friend but you're wrong. When you need him most he'll be gone."

Her words sent tendrils of fear down her spine. Her future self was bitter and twisted. She stood there confirming all of the things Roe feared the most. The Doctor himself had proven with his words earlier that he was willing to leave her behind.

 _No._ She couldn't accept her words. There was something wrong with the twisted mirror version of herself. Rose couldn't allow herself to become this. If she was capable of messing the world up so badly with a paradox that was wiping out all of Earth then she was determined; she would not become this.

"Fix it." Rose snapped.

Her counterpart blinked slowly, "I'm sorry, what?"

"You obviously know more about this than I do, you knew how to get those creatures into the church. How do we get rid of them?"

Her future self looked down at a strange mechanical contraption wrapped around her wrist, she adjusted a dial carefully before letting out an annoyed huff. "I can't believe this."She turned to scowl at Rose, "I should have remembered, should have planned better..."

"How do I bring him back?" She asked desperately.

Her future self smiled sardonically, "Stop hollering and figure it out yourself. I thought I'd spare you what you're about to go through, but I guess things will end up this way anyway." Rose stepped back as her counterpart approached.

"I don't know why you hate him so much, but you were friends once. He gave us a life, he gave us something more. There's a whole universe out there." Rose pleaded, "I just want to see it with him."

Her future self stared at her blankly, as if finding it difficult to process what she was hearing. "Once upon a time, that's all I wanted." She pushed a button in and twisted a dial anti-clockwise, "Be careful Rose, your time is ending. And mine, mine is beginning." Her figure twisted and wrapped around itself into a tiny speck before vanishing completely.

Rose crumpled to her knees, completely overwhelmed. Pete caught her under her armpits, hoisting her up. His arms wrapped around her middle. "I'm so screwed up." She choked out, "And it's not even going to get any better, I'm going to become _her_." She spat. "I don't want this."

"Shh." Pete whispered, stroking her hair, "It's okay, we'll get through this." Rose's stomach twisted, it pained her knowing that this is what she could have had, a father that cared about her instead of a parade of her mother's new boyfriends.

Rose nodded and pulled herself away, "You're right." She ran her thumb over her watch, "She left suddenly like she was angry that things weren't going her way when all evidence suggested the opposite."

"Yeah," Pete agreed, "She seemed to think that whatever she did didn't work, so there must be a way out of this."

Pete walked up to the window, staring out listlessly. Rose started to pace thinking frantically. "It was a paradox that got us into this mess, we have to somehow undo the paradox to set everything right."

She saw Pete's shoulders stiffen as he caught sight of something. "I talked to the Doctor earlier, he seemed to really care about you. He told me he would do what he could to get us out of this, to get _me_ out of this."

Rose's eyes widened, she didn't know that the Doctor had been determined to Pete in spite of her mistake. "The paradox involves you." Rose confirmed, "The car earlier..." She was unable to finish.

Pete let out a deep sigh, his hands clenched into the grey material of his suit, "I was supposed to die, wasn't I?"

"Don't say that," Rose said in a pained voice. For all of her disappointment in learning this man wasn't truly her father, she'd learnt to love him anyway, to appreciate what he could have been to her.

He rubbed a tear stain off of Rose's cheek, where her mascara had begun to streak. "You said it yourself, the paradox has to be undone. That's why I have no future with you and Jackie."

"I'll think of something else." Rose insisted.

"There isn't any time." He replied firmly. "There's a car waiting for me." He kissed her forehead and turned to the door, "I'm going to say goodbye to Jacks'," He gave a short laugh, "What do you say to the woman you love for the very last time?" He gave her a sad smile, "Goodbye sweetheart, it was a pleasure getting to know you."

"Dad!" She choked out. Even though he wasn't, even though he never could be.

0o0o0o0

Rose wanted to look away from the window. She'd watched Pete exchange farewells with a bemused Jackie, who didn't understand why her husband had to leave.

She had to keep watching, Rose owed Pete that.

The beige car turned the corner. Pete grimly gripped the vase under his arm, stepping out as if he didn't have a care in the world.

She saw the driver cover his eyes as he crashed.

She saw Pete fall.

The Vase smashed.

This time she would be there for him at the right time.

Rose crouched down in the road next to him, the creatures let out a last wail before disappearing. She took Pete's hand as he attempted to grin one last time for her. "Goodbye love."

0o0o0o0

One by one people appeared. Children raced down the streets on bicycles. The groom's father clapped him on the back. Jackie sobbed over her husband.

No one gave any indication they had remembered the bat-like beings from before.

It was only a matter of time before the Doctor returned, he had been taken last so would logically reappear last. Or maybe he should have retuned first, Rose didn't know. She was tired and afraid.

It would seem her future would be as grim as the Dalek and Gwyneth had predicted.

Rose felt a light tap on her shoulders. She ended up with an armful of the Doctor. He pulled her into his embrace tightly, his chin rested on top of her head lightly as he murmured her name repeatedly.

Her mind was a mess, as were her emotions. Whilst she was relieved the Doctor was alright, she had no idea what to do next. He smelt like the sharp tang of ozone before a storm, like petrichor and grass in the summer rain. All she was capable of was muttering "Sorry." Over and over again in return.

Reluctantly she pulled away. "I guess I better be going then." She managed to whisper through her hoarse throat. She hadn't realised that she'd started to cry again.

"What do you mean?" He asked worriedly.

"Well, I assume you want to be off. I guess I'll go acclimatise or whatever. I suppose the 80s had good music at least."

She watched the Doctor's Adam's apple bob, "You think I'm leaving you here."

Rose frowned, she redirected her attention to the trees and the golden light pouring through them, away from the Doctor's gaze. "That is what you said earlier."

His face twisted into one of misery, "You made a mistake Rose, the stars know I've made a great many myself." He breathed deeply, "I was upset, I wasn't thinking. I'd never have left you here."

Rose eyed him dubiously, "You dropped Adam off when he messed up."

He cast his eyes skywards as if looking for strength, "I dropped him off in his own home, his own time. Besides, I never cared about Adam."

Rose shrugged, "I would deserve it. All those people, they'd still be dead if Pete wasn't brave enough. You'd still be dead."

He rested his hands on her shoulders looking her in the eye, "You wouldn't deserve it. You were right, I should have explained why you can't do things like that, what the consequences were." He sighed, "I shouldn't have assumed you'd know, that you didn't care about what would happen."

Rose stared up at him helplessly. She wanted to tell him to stop being so kind, to shout at her. She wanted to tell him what kind of a cruel careless monster she would become.

"You look at me like you think I created the universe." He said softly, "And if I did, I'd want to give it to you."


	10. The Empty Child: Meeting Jack

**He was running. Running faster than he had in his youth, through fields of crimson.**

 **He was supposed to be here. He'd promised.**

 **He almost slammed into the man in front of him, in deep cerulean robes denoting his role. He panted heavily trying to catch his breath while his eyes searched all around. "Teacher." He managed to force out. The elderly man peered at him from under his heavy grey eyebrows. "Have you seen the Doctor, I can't find him anywhere?"**

 **A look of pity crossed the older Time Lord's face. "I'm afraid he's already gone." He stated gravely.**

 **A trickle of fear curled in Koschei's chest. "What do you mean, gone where?"**

Rose bolted upright in bed, her hair was stuck uncomfortably to the front of her face. It had been a while since she'd last dreamed of blood-red fields and metallic trees.

It had been the first time she'd heard the name 'Doctor' in that particular place. Rose thought back to the Doctor's anguished reaction when he looked upon her drawing of a similar scene. She'd been unable to remember anything concrete about the dream except for the scenery.

Now she was certain she'd dreamed of the Doctor's home planet.

She thought it best to record the dream down in her faded journal. Rose breathed deeply whilst thinking of the young man searching for the Doctor. Whilst some of the details grew fuzzy she could well remember the pang of fear that she/he felt when they'd heard the Doctor was gone.

 _What did it mean?_

_What did any of this nonsense mean?_

Cryptic dreams, random pieces of information floating into her head and a nutjob therapist who was now refusing to answer her calls. In fact, his whole practice didn't even bloody exist anymore.

None of this was as damning as the visit her future self had graced her with. She could certainly have done without the added stress in her life.

She'd actually tried to kill the Doctor. Rose dreaded to think what could possibly have happened between her and the Doctor for her to resort to a time-travelling assassination attempt.

She could only conclude that she would eventually lose every last scrap of sanity she had left.

There was no way she could just tell the Doctor what had happened. _How would that conversation even go?_

 _"Hey, you remember when the bat creature got you? Guess what? That was because future me can't stand you and created a paradox to kill you. Anyhow, which planet are we visiting today? I hear Myerix is lovely this time of year."_

_Nope, not happening._

0o0o0o0

Rose was flung violently into the main console, her hands clung to the sides hoping she wasn't accidentally pushing any buttons. Green light leaked out of the central column illuminating the Doctor's puzzled expression.

"What the hell is that?" She would have gestured at the screen had she felt confident in her ability not to fall over as soon as she released her grasp on the TARDIS.

The Doctor grinned brightly, "No idea, but its mauve and dangerous."

Rose shuddered as they were buffeted by turbulence. "What has colour got to do with it?"

The Doctor pulled something shaped like a handbrake up, the TARDIS let out a groan of protest before their course changed, hurtling after the object. "Mauve's the universally recognised colour for danger."

Rose frowned, "What about red?"

The Doctor looked amused for a moment before switching his attention back to the control panel, "That's just humans. By everyone else's standards, red's camp. Oh, the misunderstandings. All those red alerts, all that dancing."

Rose shook her head, "I always forget that Earths just a small snapshot, the rest of the universe is so diverse but still viewed from a human perspective. There should be a word for that, like ethnocentric..." She mused.

"Terrancentric." He corrected, "Human's judging the rest of the universe by human standards." He saw the way Rose's face fell, "You're not so bad, you've got quite an open mind. The stuff we've seen." He swore suddenly and corrected some of the levers, "No, no, no, no! It's jumping time tracks, getting away from us." He suddenly looked grave, "And about thirty seconds from the centre of London."

0o0o0o0

Rose stumbled out of the TARDIS feeling a bit green. They were in a dark alleyway, one she imagined was the site of many a muggings in the past.

The Doctor tilted his upwards and tutted, "Do you know how long you can knock around space without happening to bump into Earth?"

Rose pretended to ponder for a moment, "However long it takes for Earth to be threatened with annihilation again, I imagine. She stated wryly.

The Doctor looked affronted on behalf of Earth, "It isn't that bad, you lot just liked running into danger."

"Must be why you like humans so much, you can relate."

The Doctor made no sign he heard her. He rummaged through his leather jacket and pulled out his psychic paper. It felt like a lifetime ago since Rose had seen him use it on Platform One.

"Must have come down somewhere quite close. Within a mile, anyway. And it can't have been more than a few weeks ago. Maybe a month." He muttered to himself.

"A month?" She asked incredulously, "Oh well, I suppose it could have been twelve."

He frowned at her, "How many times do I have to apologise for that?"

Rose suddenly stiffened, her eyes became downcast as she studied the concrete below. "You don't have anything to apologise for." The Doctor's offhand comment reminded her of the many things Rose was sorry for, things she couldn't even tell him about.

"Hey." He spoke softly, putting a hand on her shoulder, "You don't have anything to apologise for either."

"You died." Rose said flatly, "You'd have to be a monster not to feel bad about that." And she was a monster, because while the present version of her wouldn't so much as wish a cold upon the Doctor, unless it was a sore throat when he was being particularly gobby; her future self had actively tried to kill him.

His grip tightened, "I brought you there. It was my responsibility, not yours." He stared into her eyes earnestly. His compassion burnt her like a wayward flame.

Rose averted her gaze, "So, what's the plan? Can the TARDIS still locate the object we were chasing?"

The Doctor sighed and released her, realising that pursuing his line of argument was pointless at present. "We lost the signal when it went down. I'm going to ask around see if anyone saw anything."

He waved his psychic paper in emphasis.

Rose squinted at the paper.

"Still nothing?" The Doctor asked, scrutinising Rose's face carefully.

"If your goal was to show me a blank piece of paper then congrats." She replied. "Are you sure this is as effective as you say it is?"

He huffed in annoyance, "I'm going to unravel you, one mystery at a time."

"Good luck." Her heart thumped wildly in contradiction with her blasé response.

They wandered down to the end of the alley coming across a shabby looking door marked 'Deliveries Only.'

"Do we really have to talk to people?" Rose bemoaned, "I left my job in the shop to see the universe, not interact socially."

"You left your Job because I blew it up." He reminded her.

Rose looked thoughtful for a moment, "You have one of those dermal regenerators in the medbay. Don't you have a tricorder too, can't we scan for alien tech?"

The Doctor's hand hesitated over the door, "Does it look like we're in Star Trek?" He asked in an affronted tone of voice. He pushed it open slightly, the sound of music floated out softly on the wind.

"I'm only asking. It doesn't sound like it'd be hard to rig something like that up." Her mind spun intricate blueprint designs, mental data banks flickered through her head. All at once it stuttered to a halt, there was no way she could ever make something like that, that kind of technology was beyond her.

"Last I checked I wasn't called Spock."

"I don't know...those ears."

"Oi." He retorted, "I'll have you know I look very...distinguished."

"Yeah, it wouldn't be hard to pick you out of a crowd." Rose teased.

The Doctor glanced down at her Union Jack t-shirt. "Speaking of picking people out of crowds, are you sure about that shirt. The colours are blinding."

"Well, you're not the one who has to wear it."

They continued to bicker until Rose once again made her reluctance known in regards to grilling unsuspecting members of the public about an unknown alien item. She stood outside the door and peered at the grey buildings around her. Rose thought she knew London well but she had no idea where they were right now.

"Mummy?" A childlike voice called out.

Rose looked around, unable to locate the origin of the voice, she was alone in the alleyway. At least she thought so.

"Mummy?" The voice repeated, not demanding, it sounded questioning.

Rose's head snapped up. A young child stood at the top of the roof, a couple of buildings away from where she stood. More notably he wore a gas mask. Either there was some kind of vintage fair going on or she was a long way away from the present.

The child stood there, eerily still with his head tilted downwards. Rose glanced around again. She couldn't see any parents nearby, there wasn't anyone. "Hey kid, are you okay?" She called out. The child just replied with their determined call for their mother. With a sigh, Rose made her way to the fire escape stairs. The Doctor wasn't around to help, so she'd have to do something herself. A loud clanging noise rang out as Rose raced up the metallic steps.

When she came to the top Rose realised that she wasn't quite far enough up. The child looked down at her from a raised-up area of the roof. There were no more stairs. She shot the child a perplexed look _. How on Earth did he even get up there?_

Her eyes settled on a rope. She was going to an awful lot of trouble for a child that didn't even appear to be all that distressed _. He's calling out for his Mum while stuck on a roof, how could he not be scared?_ Rose reprimanded herself. She took the rope in her hands giving it a firm tug. It seemed capable of holding her weight.

Rose grumbled under her breath, questioning whether her actions were a tad drastic. _Maybe you just don't care what happens to the child._ Rose shivered, of course she cared.

The image of her future self came to mind in her daft looking trench coat. Rose was not going to turn into an unfeeling cow that laughed in the face of other people's despair.

Rose started to pull herself up the rope. She kept her ankles locked around it and started to pull upwards. The coarse material bit into her hands. This was nothing; gymnastics had actually been an area of her schooling she was good at. When her head was finally level with the child Rose noted that the kid still hadn't moved, it was difficult to interpret how they were feeling under the mask.

Suddenly the child points behind her. It's difficult to twist her body, the rope swayed precariously. "Mummy. Look, a balloon!" The child called.

With dread Rose looked upwards. The rope was attached to a barrage balloon. Her body was being pulled further away from the wall, from the child watching her. Rose contemplated trying to swing on the rope but realised she was now too far away to be sure she'd land safely.

Rose gripped the rope tighter as the balloon took her higher. Her arms were starting to shake from the strain. She cast small nervous glances around, unwilling to crane her neck in fear of making the rope swing dangerously. Great searchlights began to comb through the sky. Flames flickered in the distance as sirens began to wail. Rose tried not to flinch as a plane flew near.

 _The freaking second world war_. Had she had an arm free she might have attempted to zip her jacket up to hide her shirt.

 _This is what you get, trying to be a good person. Hanging above the ground under threat of imminent death._ Part of her whispered snidely. She should have just followed the Doctor inside and listen to him interrogate the locals in a not so subtle fashion.

0o0o0o0

After discovering that perhaps asking about a falling object in the middle of an air raid wasn't the best approach the Doctor returned to the alleyway. Only to find Rose gone. He didn't have it in him to summon a modicum of surprise at the revelation. Rose had been acting odd recently; which wasn't saying much since she was always odd for a human.

It seemed with each passing adventure Rose grew more agitated. There were things she didn't want to tell him. He could respect that. He could fill libraries with things he didn't want to tell Rose. The Dalek had been the tipping point. Rose had said it predicted something awful was going to happen to her, worse than death.

Then he had to endure Adam. Rose's ill-chosen shield against his questions. He would have been insulted that Rose thought he'd pry where he was unwelcome, but unfortunately Rose knew him too well to believe he'd leave well enough alone.

Rose had known what year they were in on Satellite Five. So had he for that matter. It was certainly possible she was picking the information out of his head but he hadn't felt any intrusion against his mental shields.

He was still mentally berating himself for being stupid enough to put them in a situation where they would appear _, Cleaners, Reapers of Lost Time._ Rose didn't want to talk about her father's sacrifice. She always gave him a pained look full of such self-hatred that he couldn't find it in himself to feel angry anymore.

Rose had looked lost, heartbroken at the prospect of being left behind in the 80s.

The agony on her face as she thought she'd killed him would remain among the great catalogue of his sins.

A ringing phone pulled him out of his heavy thoughts.

His TARDIS was ringing.

0o0o0o0

Rose's knuckles were white from the strain, her muscles cramped unpleasantly. Her grip loosened. The thick fibres tore against her skin as the rope pulled through her fatigue slackened grip. She was barely cognizant of the pain in her hands as her stomach lurched.

There was no longer anything to hold onto.

She was falling.

Falling.

Her body slammed to a halt. She gasped harshly, sucking in breaths greedily. Rose's eyes opened in shock. A rippling blue light surrounded her in a tunnel leading away on a slant.

"Okay, okay. I've got you!" Boomed a male voice. It seemed to ring out from the field of light enclosing her.

"If this is Godly intervention then I completely take back what I said about organised religion." Rose called out.

A low chuckle surrounded her, "I have been known to be called God-like before." He paused, "I'm just programming your descent pattern. Keep as still as you can and keep your hands and feet inside the light field."

"Not exactly going anywhere." Rose's heart pounded, moments ago she was seconds from being a pancake. She didn't know who had caught her but she was willing to take her chances.

"Oh, and could you switch off your cell phone?" Rose wondered if he could see her incredulous expression, "No, seriously, it interferes with my instrument."

Rose had to force herself to let go of her grip on her jacket, it clearly wasn't doing her any good. Hesitantly she ventured into her pocket and switched her phone off.

"Thank you. That's much better."

"You're not going to drop me, right?" She asked cautiously. The rings of blue light pulsed, giving nothing away about the person keeping her in stasis.

"Now why would I do that?" The voice sounded kind, teasing. Now she wasn't in a blind panic she was also aware that the speaker was an American. "I'll be with you in a moment."

Rose took a deep breath, her eyes landed on the other barrage balloons and low flying planes. If she got out of this alive then she was definitely leaving creepy little children to the care and protection of their own parents.

"Hold tight!" The man called.

Rose looked around as if expecting a seatbelt to materialise mid-air. "To what?"

"Fair point." He admitted in a sheepish tone of voice.

The field of light flared red. Rose found herself being pulled along the beam of light like an intense roller coaster ride. Her stomach clenched and her eyes watered from the force of the air hitting her face. The light melted away into the interior of a spaceship.

With a grunt, she landed, right into the arms of a man. One arm curled around her carefully as he lowered her legs to the ground. "I've got you. You're fine, you're just fine. The tractor beam, it can scramble your head just a little." He murmured soothingly. He beamed brightly at her. Rose noticed he had a nice smile, one that made her feel safe. Blue eyes twinkled with a merriment that the Doctor's icy orbs often lacked.

As she stumbled slightly, gripping onto the man's arm she realised he was dressed in some kind of uniform, including a long grey coat. He had neatly parted hair that she assumed was popular in this time period.

"Hello." Rose stuttered out. A sudden pain in her head made her wince. The man in front of her seemed to flicker before her eyes before reconstituting. He looked solid, too solid. Permanent. Her head ached fiercely. He was familiar somehow.

"Hello." He returned, smiling cautiously.

"Hello." She repeated unthinkingly, "Oh, that was hello twice. Have we met before?" She asked.

The man blinked, before wiggling his eyebrows, "Have we? I think I'd remember a girl like you." Rose released her grip on him and took half a step back while rubbing her eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I'm great." She chimed. Her headache was worsening and the man started to dip out of focus, "Are there supposed to be two of you?" Her vision went black. Solid arms caught her and carried her over to a nearby bunk.

0o0o0o0

The Doctor stared down the door, Nancy's warning echoed in his head loudly. A small hand reached through the letterbox, a thick ugly scar adorned it.

"Mummy? Let me in please, mummy. Please let me in." The child pleaded.

The child sounded so alone, so afraid. _"It isn't easy being the only child left out in the cold."_

He'd been alone once, before he found _Him_. _He'd_ been alone too. The Doctor wondered how different things would have been if he'd stayed on Gallifrey with _Him_.

It was too late now.

"Your mummy isn't here."

0o0o0o0

Rose wiped her bleary eyes, immediately noticing all of the wiring hanging above her; she seemed to be on some kind of bed. Swinging her legs around she caught the eye of the man from before. "Better now?" He asked.

Rose groaned, "It feels like the time I rode out a missile strike in a cupboard." Her hands were sore and red from the rope.

The man blinked at her in surprise before giving a hearty laugh, "We've all been there." He watched Rose stumble to her feet, he leapt out of his chair to steady her chivalrously. "Hello."

Rose's head still felt fuzzy but she was no longer overwhelmed by the blinding pain from earlier. "Hello." She returned.

He grinned at her flirtatiously, "Hello."

Realising he was making a reference to their earlier introduction she gave him a half-smile, "Better not start that again, we'll be here all day."

"I can think of worse things to do than greet a beautiful lady."

Her nose wrinkled at the earnestness of his cheesy comment. "So, who do I have the pleasure of meeting twice?"

He reached into his pocket, pulling out what appeared to be an ID card. "Captain Jack Harkness, One Three Three Squadron, Royal Air Force. American volunteer." He recited with a wink. He flipped the idea open to show her his credentials.

Rose was once again confronted with a blank piece of paper, for the second time that day. "This-this is a blank piece of paper. Do you want me to imagine your credentials?" She asked sarcastically.

Jack frowned at her, checking his ID. He let out an amused huff. "You must have been top of your class. Psychic training. How high up are you as a Time Agent?

Rose took the piece of paper, running her thumb over the edges, "I don't have any training." She shot him a puzzled look, "What do you mean by Time agent?"

He sat back in his chair, rolling his eyes, red computer lights flickered behind him. "You can cut the pretence, I saw your ship in the vortex, very retro." He smirked.

Rose didn't know what exactly a Time Agent was but if that was the reason this Captain Jack had saved her then it didn't hurt to play along. "Well, yours isn't too bad either." She patted one of the sleek metallic walls. It didn't hum with the same sentience and sheer power as the TARDIS, it seemed quite dead in comparison.

"Gets me around. I have been expecting a Time Agent to turn up for some time." He grinned. "And who do I have the pleasure of meeting? It's not every day I pick a girl up midair."

"Clearly you're looking in all the wrong places." Rose squirmed internally, unsure of what she was doing. It had been a long time since she'd flirted with someone. It hadn't been necessary with Mickey who pursued her adamantly. She had difficulty identifying the feeling rising within her. Something akin to guilt.

She had nothing to feel guilty for, she'd already made it clear to Mickey they weren't going anywhere. She had no actual commitment to anyone else.

Adam had been a distraction, she hadn't felt a scrap of attraction towards him.

Captain Jack felt somehow familiar to her. The Doctor had felt familiar too, but she'd dreamed of him, his name spread out across the chasm of her dreams. Rose had never dreamt of Jack but there was that small tingle of intuition accompanied by the pounding in her head that told her he wasn't just some passerby.

"Rose Tyler, 21st Century human and former shop girl." She delivered her rather underwhelming title and passed the psychic paper back to him.

Jack looked at it quizzically before raising an amused eyebrow at her, "Says here, 'Human enigma, loves chips and hates trenchcoats, trying to do the right thing." His voice quietened towards the end, "I suppose that's all any of us can do. Can't let your mind wander with psychic paper, spews all kinds of stuff out." He looked uncomfortable for a moment before fixing an easy grin on his face, "A cell phone, a liquid crystal watch, and fabrics that won't be around for at least another two decades. I can definitely see the 21st century vibe."

Rose glanced around his ship, "This all has a decidedly un-20th century vibe."Her hands balled up into fists, she winced as a sharp pain lanced through them.

Taking in her look of discomfort he moved closer. "Hmm, rope burn, can I have a look at your hands for a moment?"

"What for?" She asked suspiciously. He didn't seem like he wanted to incapacitate her, but you never know. She had spent most of her time in his presence unconscious. She stared up at him as he began to wrap his scarf around her wrists.

"Try to keep still." He warned. He stretched upwards to reach a high up button on a panel. Dozens of tiny golden lights zoomed out of a concealed compartment and settled on her burnt palms. "Nanogenes. Sub-atomic robots. The air in here is full of them." He chuckled at her dumbfounded expression, "They just repaired three layers of your skin." The glow started to dissipate. The Captain untied her wrists from the loosely tied scarf.

"Wow. Just how complicated a medical procedure can they carry out?" Rose asked in amazement.

"I've known them bring a man back from the brink of death." He declared proudly. Seeing that she was now in good health he dramatically changed the track of the conversation. "Shall we get down to business?"

"And what business would that be?" Rose asked.

Jack opened up a hatch on the top of his spaceship, "Let's have a drink on the balcony. Then we can talk."

Rose slowly made her way up the few short steps leading to the roof of the ship. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably when she realised she could see the fires of London roaring beneath her feet, the ship was completely transparent and appeared to be tethered to Big Ben.

"So, do you often lose your spaceship?" She asked idly while trying to convince herself she wasn't about to fall through the ship. Given her earlier descent, she wasn't doing a good job reassuring herself.

"Nope." Jack smirked as she wobbled towards him "First rule of active camouflage. Park somewhere you'll remember." He popped open the champagne bottle he carried out under his arm and began to fill up two glasses. Rose accepted one and peered at the pale gold liquid.

Rose stared into her glass, watching the liquid slosh from side to side. "I should really be getting back to my friend."

Jack smiled at her, "We have yet to discuss business."

"And what business would that be?" A feeling of unease settled down upon her. "This doesn't seem like your typical business meeting."

He dusted off his jacket and strode across the invisible floor to stand closer to her. "I try never to discuss business with a clear head."

"That seems ill-advised."

"You mentioned a friend. Is he your business partner?" He asked suddenly. "Are you authorised to negotiate with me?"

"You're referring to that metal cylinder we were chasing." Rose realised. "That's when you had a good look at our ship."

"Right you are." He grinned, "I think the Time Agency would be pretty interested in it. Are you in power to make payment?"

"Yes." She lied. It wasn't like she had to buy it off him. For all she knew if she rejected his offer she'd fall straight through the floor.

Jack pursed his lips thoughtfully, "Good, good." He muttered to himself.

"Of course, you'd have to prove it was worth my time." Rose added, "I might have to consult with my...companion." That seemed safe, she just had to convince him to bring her back to the Doctor. _Everything was going to be fine._

"I think I could make it worth your time." He replied smoothly.

"I don't suppose you know what _time_ it is?" She asked. The night sky made it much too dim to see the clock face before her.

Jack pressed a button on his remote and watched her face expectantly. The clock face lit up brilliantly and Big Ben struck thirty.

"I'm not sure that's a wise action in the middle of a blackout."

Jack shrugged, "So when you say your companion, just how disappointed should I be?" He asked teasingly.

Heat rose to her cheeks, "If you want to be jealous of uncomfortable silences and a shared proclivity to be involved in life-threatening situations then be my guest."

He whistled lowly, "That bad huh, sounds like a whole lot of tension." He raised an eyebrow humorously.

"It isn't like that." Rose whispered. Rose didn't even know if she wanted things to be like that between her and the Doctor. Whilst she couldn't imagine feeling such intense loyalty and wonderment towards anyone else she couldn't fathom the Doctor feeling even a crumb of what she felt. She admired the Doctor, he was intense but he was no more likely to fall for her than a hurricane would.

"His loss." He took in her disheartened expression and gently brushed his fingers against hers, "Do you like Glenn Miller?" He produced his remote again. With another click Moonlight Serenade began to play through the speakers of his ship. Jack gently wrapped an arm around Rose's waist and pulled her closer. He took her other hand in his, their champagne glasses forgotten and spun in gentle circles around the roof of the ship

Rose didn't know why she let him. She had spent so long feeling confused recently. There were so many things she wished she could tell the Doctor. She longed to tell him the truth of his death when they visited her father. She wished above all else that he'd hold her again and tell her everything was going to be okay. That he would forgive her and know precisely what he was forgiving her for.

The comforting sway of her dance with Captain Jack was hollow in comparison. But she felt so empty, so desperate for affection she dare not ask the Doctor for. Here, dancing above the obsidian buildings and violent flames she could pretend that this was enough. She was just an ordinary woman, who wasn't fated to try and kill her best friend. This was easy.

"It's 1941, the height of the London Blitz, the height of the German bombing campaign, and something else has fallen on London." Jack murmured in her ear, spinning her in tighter circles. "A fully equipped Chula warship. The last one in existence, armed to the teeth. And I know where it is, because I parked it." He continued, "If the Agency can name the right price, I can get it for you. But in two hours, a German bomb is going to fall on it and destroy it forever. That's your deadline." He breathed. Of course, this flirtation was just as hollow for him as it was for her, a careful tactic to entice her. "That's the deal. Now, shall we discuss payment?"

"I'm going to want to examine the goods first." She reminded him. If they had to chase it through the vortex while she was being slammed around left and right, she might as well see the object that caused so much trouble.

Jack slowed his movement, his had squeezed her own slightly, "Two hours until the bomb falls and destroys it forever. We wouldn't have much time." He warned her.

"All this talk of my authority, I don't suppose you have a licence for selling it. You know psychic paper isn't going to cut it" She challenged.

He gave her a dashing smile, one as false as her repeated claims of being 'okay.' "I'm selling on the loose authority of finders keepers." He replied jokingly.

"So, I take it you used to be a Time Agent. Some king of freelancer now."

He frowned, turning sharply, his hands never strayed from her waist, That's a little harsh. I like to think of myself as a criminal."

"Well, that sounds like more fun." She grinned back.

"I like to think so." He grew silent for a moment before giving her a contemplative look.

"We should go find my companion." Rose reminded him.

Jack grinned at her, twirling her around. "I don't think I want to share."

Rose almost stumbled, his grip tightened on her to prevent her tripping. she gazed up at Jack, staring into clear blue eyes. Her heart thumped quickly, wondering what she would have to do if he refused to help her find the Doctor. Her head started to pound loudly. _Da da_ _day dum..._

"I'm serious." She stated, "We need to find my friend." Pressure built in her skull unpleasantly. She stared at him, mentally urging him to agree.

Jack frowned at her and broke eye contact. "Fine, we can do that. No need to resort to anything drastic." He tapped the side of Rose's head with a rueful expression. "I was just joking, I wouldn't keep you here against your will."

Rose didn't know what he meant by anything drastic. All she'd done was ask him to help her find the Doctor.

He brought them to a stop, his hands fell away from her as he cast a glance down at the wreckage of London below. "Let's go find your friend then. I can't give any guarantees about showing the merch' it's a tad risky."

"And how are you going to find him?" Rose found herself missing the warmth of Jack, just mindlessly making lazy circles around the London Sky.

"Easy. I'll do a scan for alien tech."

He looked at Rose quizzically when a laugh burst out of her. "Alright, Mr Spock."

0o0o0o0

The Doctor stared at Doctor Constantine in bewilderment. "Alright, I give up. What was the cause of death?" The readings from his sonic screwdriver gave no such indication.

Each patient lay there with a gas mask inexplicably melded into the skin of their faces. An ugly scar covered the back of one hand of each patient. Much like the young boy from earlier. When Nancy recommended he visit this Doctor he didn't realise he'd end up with more questions than he started with.

"There wasn't one. They're not dead." Constantine's voice came out as a throaty rasp as he struck his cane against a wastebasket. The patients immediately bolted upright in bed. The Doctor took an alarmed step backwards.

"It's alright, they're harmless," he reassured, "They just sort of sit there. No heartbeat, no life signs of any kind. They just don't die."

The Doctor continued to question him rapidly. He couldn't believe that this was all of them, not when a child in a very similar state was roaming the streets. While Constantine denied they were harmful, all of the children he had encountered around the dinner table had displayed fear at the thought of confronting the child in the gas mask.

"There are isolated cases. Isolated cases breaking out all over London." Constantine continued grimly. He warily eyed the Doctor's approach. "Stay back, stay back." He warned, "Listen to me. Top floor. Room eight oh two. That's where they took the first victim, the one from the crash site. And you must find Nancy again."

"Nancy?"

"It was her brother. She knows more than she's saying. She won't tell me, but she might..." He coughed loudly before stumbling over his words."Mummy." Constantine gagged. "Are you my mummy?" Each word he forced out looked painful. His eyes were wide with fear. A thick, dark piece of plastic shot out of his mouth. His eyes grew sunken as plastic and fabric replaced flesh. His face was completely taken over by a gas mask. Constantine's head flopped forwards limply.

The Doctor didn't have time to analyse the transformation that had just taken place before his eyes. He could hear a male and female voice calling out from the corridor behind. Reluctantly he left the ward of Albion hospital and entered the hallway.

There stood Rose, walking side by side next to a tall man with dark hair now tousled from the winds high above the clouds.

"Good evening. Hope we're not interrupting." Jack offered his hand, "Jack Harkness. I've been hearing all about you on the way over."

Rose watched the Doctor accept Jack's hand grimly his lips pressed into a tight line. "He says knows that we're Time Agents." Rose informed him. The Doctor hesitated for a second before catching her eye and nodding.

Jack gave the Doctor a warm smile, "It's a real pleasure to meet you, Captain Kirk." He continued down the corridor, coming to the door of the ward the Doctor had just exited.

"Kirk?" He wrinkled his nose.

"Well, you didn't like Spock." Rose replied. "Besides, I thought Captain might appeal to your ego."

"I don't have an ego." The Doctor scowled. "Anyway, where've you been? We're in the middle of a London Blitz. It's not a good time for a stroll." He reprimanded her.

"I had a run-in with a barrage balloon." Rose grimaced, "That's how I met that one." She pointed to the door Jack had just entered, "Apparently door to door salesman are more persistent in the future. He wants to sell that object we were chasing after. Some kind of Chula warship." She added. Not that she knew what a Chula warship was.

"Chula?" The Doctor echoed, his brow furrowed.

0o0o0o0

Rose watched Jack scan the patients with a device on his wrist. Rose was perfectly comfortable keeping her distance from them. Of course, this time if she went near one her chances of ending up hanging onto a rope for dear life were considerably lower.

The ward was so still, devoid of life. She definitely wouldn't complain about leaving here.

"This just isn't possible. How did this happen?" Jack mused.

"What kind of Chula ship landed here?" The Doctor asked. He kept his eyes trained on Jack. Rose didn't know exactly what the Doctor expected Jack to do but he was certainly wary.

"What?" Jack responded distractedly, craning down to examine another patient. This one was a woman with curly hair and a nurses uniform.

"A warship." Rose reminded him, "He stole it and parked it somewhere. A bomb's supposed to fall on it in under two hours." Rose wandered over to where the Doctor stood, "He doesn't seem all that keen on showing it to us."

"What kind of warship?" He pressed.

Jack straightened himself up and sighed deeply at the Doctor's unfriendly stare. "Does it matter? It's got nothing to do with this."

The Doctor crossed his arms, "This started at the bomb site. It's got everything to do with it. What kind of warship?" He demanded.

Jack threw his arms up in the air, defeated. "An ambulance!" He twisted his wrist device and a beam of light poured out. A holographic representation of the cylinder appeared. "Look, That's what you chased through the Time Vortex. It's space junk. I wanted to kid you it was valuable." He looked up at Rose, eyes suddenly guilty, "It's empty. I made sure of it. Nothing but a shell. I threw it at you as bait."

"Right." Rose narrowed her eyes, "You wanted us to buy your junk, expecting we'd never see it. You're not worried about the bomb, you're banking on it clearing up your fake warship."

He gave her an admiring look, "You wouldn't let it go, kept insisting on seeing it." He ran a hand through his hair irritably. "Anyway, it wasn't an outright lie, they have ambulances in wars. It was just a con. I was conning you." He gestured at Rose. "You said you were a Time Agent, but you're obviously not."

"Technically I never confirmed or denied your assumption." She retorted with a sardonic smile, "I just let you assume. Only a 21st Century shop girl, me." She added bitterly. The Doctor didn't appear to amused by her offhand self-degradation.

"Just a couple of freelancers, I should have known." Jack complained, "The way you guys are blending in with the local colour. I mean, Flag Girl was bad enough, but U-Boat Captain?" He shook his head, "Anyway, whatever's happening here has got nothing to do with that ship."

"What is happening here?" She turned to the Doctor.

The Doctor shot a glare at Jack, clearly not believing his claim, "Human DNA is being rewritten by an idiot."

"Rewritten into what?" Rose bit her lip.

The Doctor gestured towards the beds around him, "Something dead but not." He glanced back at the elderly man sat in a chair in the centre of the room, "It seems to work like some kind of virus, converting humans into these things. But why? What's the point?"

Without warning the patients sat upright in bed. " Mummy. Mummy. Mummy?" The word rang out from each of the concealed mouths of the patients in a horrific cacophony.

"Oh, I've seen horror movies that go like this." Rose whined. She immediately shuffled closer to the Doctor. Jack joined them in the middle of the room, edging away from the beds.

"What's going on?" Whispered Jack harshly.

"I don't know." The Doctor responded with a grimace. The patients rose from their beds and walked towards them stiffly.

"Mummy." They repeated.

The Doctor's eyes kept flickering back and forth between Rose and the new threat approaching them. The lack of expression due to their concealed faces made it more terrifying. As they made minute steps backwards Rose was reminded of the grim cellar back in Cardiff where similar figures mindlessly shambled towards them.

"Mummy."

"Don't let them touch you!" The Doctor warned hurriedly. His hands settled on Rose's shoulders, carefully steering her closer to him. She didn't need any encouragement.

"You said it was like a virus." Rose looked at him with fear-stricken eyes.

Jack's mouth gaped open in shock. "You mean, we'd end up like them?"

The Doctor didn't respond. Rose didn't know what to do. The Doctor always had a plan, he had to. The grim set of his shoulders and the concerned expression on his face said otherwise.

At least if she died here, she's never become the woman she met in the church vestry.

It wasn't the most comforting of thoughts.

"Help me, mummy." The patients called out, surrounding them from all sides.

"Mummy. Mummy. Mummy. Mummy. Mummy. Mummy.


	11. The Doctor Dances: Hire a zombie day!

"Mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy..." The relentless call of the mindless creatures reached for her and filled her with dread.

Fingers scrabbled in the air, almost brushing her hair.

Rose saw the instant that the calm calculating mask dropped over the Doctor's face, and suddenly there was peace.

"Go to your room!" The Doctor pointed at the hoard of gas mask clad beings with a stern finger. His hand shook almost imperceptibly as he kept the faint tremor out of his voice.

All at once the figures ceased moving, several tilted their heads at the Doctor inquiringly.

Jack let out a relieved breath while giving the Doctor an incredulous look. "Go to your room. I mean it. I'm very, very angry with you. I am very, very cross. Go to your room!" The Time Lord himself seemed surprised when the figures hung their heads in a facsimile of sadness and shuffled away.

"I didn't know you had such strong maternal instincts." Rose managed to choke out.

"Damn." Jack whistled.

It took them all a moment to calm down. They all cast nervous looks at their previous assailants in their beds before exiting the hospital ward. Rose laid a hand on the closed door and tried not to peer through the glass back at the disturbing figures.

"What's with all of the masks?" Rose asked eventually, "Are their faces disfigured underneath?"

Jack shook his head, strangely solemn, "Those are their faces." Watching Rose shiver he reached out a hand to comfort her before noting the not so subtle glare the Doctor threw at him; his hand withdrew through the air rapidly.

They began to walk down a narrow corridor. There was so much white everywhere. Rose supposed it was meant to be seen as calming, yet somehow the overall effect gave her the strange impression that they had somehow entered purgatory.

"How was your con supposed to work?" The Doctor's voice was drenched with distaste.

Jack shrugged, he looked oddly small in his amidst the folds of his long grey coat. "You know, find some harmless piece of space junk, let the nearest Time Agent track it back to Earth, convince him it's valuable, name a price." He rattled the explanation off quickly in a low monotone as if reciting a list of bullet points. "When he's put fifty percent upfront, oops! A German bomb falls on it, destroys it forever. He never gets to see what he's paid for, never knows he's been had. I buy him a drink with his own money, and we discuss dumb luck. The perfect self-cleaning con."

"What, and no one's asked to see the goods first hand before paying?" Rose asked sceptically.

Jack gave her a practiced charming smile, "Normally, getting up close and personal with it in the time vortex is good enough." He shook his head, "You're just persistent."

"Or your clients are just thick." She muttered.

"And look at the mess left behind from your 'self-cleaning con.'" The Doctor challenged him.

Jack rolled his eyes, "I'm not responsible for this, it was a burnt-out medical transporter, I even programmed the flight computer so it wouldn't land on anything living."

The shrill ringing of an alarm cut through the trio's bickering. Rose cast a panicked look at the doctor who seemed equally grim.

"Hope you have a plan, Captain Kirk." Jack's eyes darted from side to side to each of the doors leading to various wards. The only path was forward if they wanted to avoid the gas mask people.

"That is not my name." He responded flatly.

They increased their pace, shooting past the stairs they headed for a solid metal door, the glint of the flickering overhead light upon the metal seemed to be mocking them, illuminating the dead end.

"The night your 'space-junk' landed, someone was hurt. This was where they were taken." The Doctor determined, giving the door a wary look, "Make yourself useful and get it open." He practically barked at Jack.

"Can't you just use your screwdriver?" Rose asked.

The Doctor shook his head dismissively, a slight flush of colour entering his cheeks. Jack pulled out an almost comically large gun, one that seemed an incongruous size compared to the pocket it was removed from. Aiming it at the door a solid bar of blue light shot out. The lock disappeared, along with the metal around it as if someone had taken an eraser and rubbed it out violently.

"From the factories of Villengard!" Jack looked triumphant as he pushed the door open.

"Isn't there a banana grove there these days?" The Doctor asked, keeping his voice light and too innocent in a way that seemed unnerving considering the previous tone of voice he used to address Jack.

"It looks powerful," Rose commented. It hadn't escaped her notice that the Doctor seemed reluctant to utilise weaponry himself. As dangerous as the sonic screwdriver could be in the wrong hands, in the wrong situation it was hardly what Rose would term a weapon, it wasn't like it was laser-powered or anything.

"I pack quite the punch." Jack beamed at her; he honestly seemed relieved that one person wasn't treating him with hostility.

The room they entered looked like it had been ransacked or a small localised tornado had recently blown through. Filling cabinets were tugged open and papers littered the ground like an obscure mosaic. In the corner by the window, there were some fragments of broken glass.

"Something broke out of here, something powerful, powerful and angry." The Doctor's eyes scanned the room, they softened as they rested on a crude crayon drawing of a child with their mother.

"This is a child's room," Jack whispered, he wasn't quite sure why he was whispering but there was something about the seriousness of the situation that warranted that level of quietness as if to reduce the blow of the revelation.

"Do you know where you are?" Came a low raspy voice. Rose was startled; her heartbeat calmed down quickly when she released the voice was just a recording from a tape machine.

"Are you my mummy?" The voice sent shudders down her spine. It was the voice of the child she had followed onto the roof, the one who stared at her blankly as she flailed in the air desperately.

The voice continued, over and over again, asking the same question.

"That voice..." Rose started.

"You've heard it too." The Doctor shot her a worried look. He tilted his head upwards, closing his eyes briefly, he sucked in a deep breath. "Can you sense it?" He directed the question more at Rose than Jack.

Jack shook his head, "Sense what exactly?"

"Coming out of the walls." He continued in a frustrated voice, he started to pace rapidly. "Can you feel it?"

Rose didn't know what he was talking about, nevertheless, she tried to understand. She shut her own eyes, feeling a bit foolish. It was hard to sense anything beyond her own thundering pulse and too solid awareness of her own fragile mortality. She tried to see past it, like when she sought the name of the Slitheen homeworld. Her hand reached into her pocket, her fingers curled around warm metal. There was a sense of safety and comfort in routine.

Now she really thought about it, Rose was alarmed that she could have missed something so obvious. The atmosphere around her was heavy, oppressive. She had shrugged it off as her own fear. It was more than that, there was a taste of power to it, like the air before lightning strikes.

"Mummy?" Chimed the recording.

"You really can't feel it?" The Doctor gave a derisive snort. "You can, can't you Rose?"

Rose nodded hesitantly, "I think so, it doesn't exactly feel malignant, it's more like a relentless force...with a single-minded will."

The Doctor tilted his head thoughtfully, mulling over her observation. "Single-minded..."

"Oh, and what does it single-mindedly want?" Jack mocked, "Aside from replicating a knock-off zombie holofilm."

"Presumably it's mummy." Rose snarked back.

The Doctor raised his hands, seemingly irritated by their arguing."Suppose when that 'med-ship' landed, there was a child there. What if they were affected somehow?"

"It was empty." Jack hissed, "Even if it did land on someone, which it didn't, it wouldn't affect them in any way."

"I'm here!" Called the saccharine voice of a child.

The oppressive feeling increased in intensity, now Rose was focusing on it it was near impossible to blot out. There was a faint rustling sound in the background.

"It's afraid. Terribly afraid and powerful." The Doctor realised, "It doesn't know it yet, but it will do. It's got the power of a god, and I just sent it to its room."

Rose's eyes widened, "We're in its room." Her eyes landed on the source of the rustling noise. "The tape..."

"I'm here. Can't you see me?"

Three pairs of alarmed eyes turned to the window; the child moved forward towards the door at a sedate pace, completely unconcerned by the looks of horror on the faces of the room's other inhabitants.

"Are you my mummy?" It regarded them hollowly, "Mummy?"

"Doctor?" Rose couldn't keep the sound of fear from creeping into her voice.

Jack breathed heavily next to her. "Okay, on my signal make for the door." His hand reached for his left pocket, Jack stared at the child intently. In one swift motion, he pulled an object free from his pocket. "Now!"

Rose jumped slightly, her eyes landed on the banana clutched by Captain Jack, he stared at the yellow shape in his hands with bemusement. She saw the Doctor reach into his own belt, pulling free the same square-nozzled gun from earlier. He aimed it at the door and with a bright flash of light a smooth square-shaped hole appeared in the wall.

Seeing that there was no avenue of escape through the door, Jack gave Doctor a look somewhere between bewilderment and outrage as he followed the other two through the hole, still clutching the banana.

"Don't drop the banana." The Doctor called behind him. He reached for Rose's hand, urging her along the new pathway. Rose squeezed his hand gratefully, grasping it as a lifeline as she hurried along with him.

"Why not?" Asked Jack.

The Doctor cast a look back at Jack, who had now caught up with them. "It's a good source of potassium." He shrugged.

Jack rolled his eyes and tossed the banana behind him, in one quick movement he yanked the blaster away from the Doctor. His fingers caressed the metal gently as if apologising to it for allowing it to fall into the Doctor's hands.

"Mummy. I want my mummy." The child called after them. It hadn't previously given any indication that it was particularly fast but Rose didn't want to take her chances with it by wasting time.

Jack twisted a dial on the blaster and aimed it back at the wall. It repaired itself neatly with nary a crack or chip in the paintwork. "Digital rewind." He proclaimed, satisfied. "Nice switch by the way." He admitted.

A rare grin crossed the Doctor's face, "It's from the groves of Villengard. I thought it was appropriate."

"I wonder how a banana grove ended up there." Rose mused.

"Oh, I wonder..." Jack echoed, faux menacingly.

Their light conversation was halted by the sound of plaster splitting; a long crack ran down the wall recently replaced, with small tributaries splitting off in all directions. They headed away from the wall, only to be confronted by a pair of gas-masked figures in long dressing gowns, there were patients everywhere, and they seemed to be waking up again.

Rose looked around frantically but there was no visible exit anywhere.

"Mummy. Mummy. Mummy." Moaned the patients.

"It's keeping us here till it can get at us." The Doctor stated, grimly.

"The child's controlling them?" Jack moved closer to Rose, protectively. His eyes landed on Rose and the Doctor's still tightly clasped hands, a small grimace crossed his face, briefly.

"It is them. It's every living thing in this hospital."

"Okay," Jack collected himself. He started to rummage through his pockets, "I've got a sonic blaster, a sonic cannon, and as a triple-enfolded sonic disrupter. Doc, what you got?"

The Doctor screwed his face up at the nickname. "I've got a sonic..." He trailed off, "Never mind."

"What?" Jack called, edging closer towards them and away from the crowd slowly enclosing them.

"It's sonic, okay?" The Doctor replied in frustration, his hand let go of Rose's, she immediately missed its warm comfort. "Let's leave it at that."

"Disrupter? Cannon? What?" Jack shouted back, in irritation.

The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver free, he waved it in the air dramatically. "It's sonic! Totally sonic! I am soniced up!"

"A sonic what?" Jack's brow furrowed as he looked at the slender metal shape.

"Screwdriver!" He hissed back in embarrassment.

The wall gave away, a small hand reached through the cloud of plaster dust. Rose could not die here, she refused to be converted into one of them. Her eyes landed on Jack's gun, still hanging out of his pocket, reaching for it she aimed it at the ground, the only available surface she could aim for. "Going down!" She yelled, the only warning the other two had before they were falling with her.

They fell in a heavy pile on the floor below. The child peered down at them through the hole where light flooded through into the darkened room they now found themselves in. Rose aimed the blaster back at the hole and repaired it.

Jack gave her an admiring look, "Good looking, telepathically interesting and handy with weapons." He grinned, "I may just have to keep you."

Rose gave him a sheepish smile. She didn't consider being able to see through psychic paper all that interesting.

The Doctor glowered at Jack, "Yes, thanks to _my_ companion, we were able to avoid your mess."

"Sonic screwdriver?" Jack teased, "I'm sure that's real helpful."

"It is!" The Doctor insisted gruffly.

Rose ignored their bickering and attempted to find a light switch; her fingers came across a familiar shape in the dark and tugged the cord. The light pinged on; Rose rather wished she couldn't see what was in the room with them. They were in another ward filled with beds, the figures sat up, not betraying any sign of tiredness from their slumber.

"Mummy, mummy." They called out.

Jack reached for the fallen blaster aiming it at a wall, when no light came out he smacked the side of the weapon he had previously treated so kindly. "Damn it!" He groaned. "It's the special features. They really drain the battery." He explained.

With a somewhat vindictive look of glee the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at a storeroom door, they rushed inside as fast as they could. The room was cramped with few supplied, there was a tiny window reinforced with iron bars. The Doctor locked the door behind them gesturing to his screwdriver smugly.

"Don't look at me like that." Jack put his hands on his hips, "You said screwdriver, how was I to know it did more than put up shelves."

"Oh, ye of little faith." The Time Lord returned. "That should hold for a bit." He slammed his palm against the door.

"Really, the wall didn't do much good," Rose stated dubiously.

"Well, it's got to find us first."

"We didn't exactly go very far, "Jack backed her up. "We need a plan." He frowned at the window, "Barred. Sheer drop outside. Seven stories. Not much chance of escape through there."

Rose swallowed, "So we have to go back out there," She gave the door a wary look.

The Doctor didn't seem pleased by their pessimism, "So, where'd you pick this one up, then?" He gestured at Jack dismissively.

Despite not being the person addressed, Jack answered instead. "She was hanging from a barrage balloon, I had an invisible spaceship. I never stood a chance." He smiled fondly at her.

The Doctor screwed his face up in distaste.

Rose didn't know what to make of Jack, he was obviously charming and he had saved her from splattering onto the streets of London in a gory death. That counted for something in her books, even if the Doctor clearly hated him.

In her opinion, the Doctor's reaction to Jack was a bit dramatic. Sure, he may possibly be responsible for an outbreak of zombies in gas masks but it's not like he meant it, he was only after profit. Profit at the expense of human life, may not be the most moral recourse but Rose could understand it.

"Okay. One, we've got to get out of here. Two, we can't get out of here. Have I missed anything?" The Doctor rattled off.

Jack was looking more and more like a caged animal, he seemed to be the most affected by their enclosure in the storeroom. He shot an apologetic look at Rose before twisting a dial on his watch and disappearing into thin air, or more specifically the musty air of the claustrophobia-inducing room.

"Jack's gone," Rose commented blandly.

It was funny really, whenever the Doctor disappeared, even if it was something as mundane as splitting up temporarily it caused her to feel the undercurrent of panic. Jack's disappearance didn't elicit any such emotions in her. Jack for all his dastardly criminal ways was simple, not of mind but of existence in relation to her. There was no complicated dream woven feeling of fate, no sense of expectation.

"Great." The Doctor sighed.

"Don't act like you had high expectations of him, to begin with." Rose chided.

A dusty radio in the corner of the room crackled to life. " **Ouch, that really hurts Rosie.** " The voice was filled with static.

Rose's eyes narrowed, "Jack?"

" **Hey guys, I'm back on my ship."** He paused for a moment, **"My emergency teleport is security-keyed to my molecular structure. Sorry I couldn't take you with me."**

The Doctor raised his sonic to the radio suspiciously, "How're you speaking?"

" **Om-Com."** His voice crackled, **"I can call anything with a speaker grill."**

The Doctor frowned, "So can the child, they can Om-Com too."

"How can they do that?" Rose puzzled, "They can't be emitting radio waves."

"Brain waves." The Doctor corrected, "Originally I don't think it was strong enough. Now with all of those patients," He gestured to the sealed door, "It has hundreds of voices to bolster its own."

Rose wondered if the Doctor could make the radio speak using his own telepathic abilities, maybe she could too. There was something oddly appealing about being able to project your thoughts onto something, to make it react as you willed it to.

" **And I can hear you. Coming to find you. Coming to find you."** Came the mellifluous voice.

"Didn't take him long," Rose commented.

" **I'll try to block out the signal. Least I can do."** Jack's voice, cut through the child's crooning. Jack's voice disappeared for a moment, just when the child's incessant speech became unbearable it was replaced by a familiar piece of music.

"Ah," Rose spoke quietly.

The Doctor gave her a questioning look when he noticed the recognition on her face, his piercing eyes returned to the radio regarding it in a way that was not dissimilar to a bomb disposer might look at explosives.

" **Remember this one, Rose?"** Jack teased.

"It was less than an hour ago." She protested, "I'd be hard-pressed to forget."

" **It was rather unforgettable for me as well."** Jack continued gleefully. **"Our song."**

Rose flung herself into a nearby wheelchair and tried to ignore the Doctor's bristly silence. He went over to the window, he had to stand on the table to reach properly and examine the bars over the window; his screwdriver moved back and forth in a regular pattern. Jack was silent on the other end, Rose hoped he was working on a way for them to get out of here, from the Doctor's behaviour he didn't seem quite so hopeful.

She felt restless, she had no tool of her own to help the Doctor and she wasn't sure if he would be keen on accepting her help. Obviously picking up Captain Jack had been a poor decision, the Doctor was treating him like an Adam 2.0. She wasn't even trying to use Jack like she used Adam, it wasn't her fault that the Doctor was so aggravated.

Rose genuinely liked Jack, he was humorous and cunning. Dancing with him had felt nice, in an empty sort of way, like drinking wine to cool the flames of her anxiety. She wondered what it would be like to dance with the Doctor, if it would feel the same way or better. But all of her feelings relating to the Doctor were complicated anyway, assassination attempt notwithstanding.

If felt good when he hugged her, she felt calm and safe. It should be absurd that his presence could elicit feelings of safety given that disaster seemed to follow him so eagerly.

"What are you doing with those bars?"

"Trying to set up a resonation pattern in the concrete, loosen the bars." He replied, not looking away from his task.

"What good would that do? Jack said that we're seven stories up."

He looked at her finally, "I wouldn't put so much stock in everything Jack says. Besides, I can't just do nothing."

"Why don't you like Jack?" If the Doctor was so keen on outright honesty then he had to accept a little give and take.

"Why do you like him so much?" He returned instantly.

"You mean aside from saving my life?"

"He did that so he could attempt to later steal your hypothetical money." He reminded her.

Rose shook her head, "We've met worse."

"I think you're setting the bar of trust too low."

"He feels safe, you know, like you." She flushed slightly seeing his pleased expression. "He's expressive and talkative without saying anything at all. He certainly enjoys dancing."

"Dancing?" He raised an eyebrow, "When did you have time to dance?"

Rose started to rock her wheelchair back and forth, the front left wheel was broken and made a screeching noise as she moved. "It was when we were discussing 'business,' we were on top of an invisible spaceship, I'd just been rescued from falling through the air." She paused thoughtfully, "To be honest, at the time I wasn't sure what he would do if I declined his offer."

"Did he threaten you?" The Doctor asked flatly, there was a storm brewing behind his eyes.

"No, no, nothing like that. I was just a bit shaken, I wanted to be cautious." Rose listened to the quiet thrum of the music in the air, drowning out the voice of the gas-masked child. "It wasn't so bad, he was a good dancer."

A flicker of humour crossed the Doctor's face as he jumped down from the table. "Is dancing ability an important criterion for deciding whether or not to trust someone?"

Rose tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Now you mention it, you've never proven your ability either way. Maybe you're not so trustworthy yourself after all."

He shot her a look of mock offense, "Who says I can't dance?"

"I've seen no evidence to suggest you are a good dancer." She sniffed.

The Doctor put his hands in his pockets; he cocked his head to the side and regarded her with an indecipherable expression for a long moment. "Nine hundred years old, me. I've been around a bit. I think you can assume at some point I've danced."

"But can you dance well?"

"Well, I've got the moves but I wouldn't want to boast."

"Hmm," Rose went over to the radio and turned up the music. "It doesn't look like we're going anywhere." She wasn't exactly sure what she was doing, goading the Doctor into dancing wasn't a productive use of their time. But, she was curious, she wanted to compare how it felt to dance with Jack and how it felt to dance with her possibly ill-fated friend.

Maybe this was okay, the Doctor was her friend, friends do fun things like dance together. Surely dancing with him would be a distraction from plotting his murder in whatever vile part of her mind concocts such ideas.

She held her hands out to him. The Doctor sighed in exasperation and moved forward. "I was trying to resonate concrete."

"Yes, because that would be a viable means of escape." She smiled at him, "Maybe Jack will pull through." She knew bringing up Jack would irritate him.

The Doctor's face darkened, "Are you sure you want to taint the memories of your little song with Jack by dancing with me?"

"What's the worse that could happen."

"Famous last words." He murmured in a defeated manner. He reached for her hands grudgingly, Rose's heart fluttered nervously as he made contact with her skin, even though he had held her hand many times in the past. He inspected her palms with a furtive look. "Barrage balloon?" He asked suddenly.

Rose blinked, thrown out of her reverie. "What?"

"You were hanging from a barrage balloon."

"Sure. What about it?"

He tutted, "I've travelled with a lot of people, but you're setting new records for jeopardy friendly."

"Yeah, a great place to pick up men apparently." His grasp on her hands tightened.

"Hanging from a rope thousands of feet above London. Not a cut, not a bruise."

She squeezed his hands back with her own unblemished ones. "Jack fixed me up with his nanogenes."

The Doctor looked puzzled, "Nanogenes?" Seeing that Rose wasn't going to volunteer any more information he decided to pick apart the other part of her statement. "We're calling him Captain Jack now, are we?"

"That's what he introduced himself as."

"He's not really a Captain, Rose."

"It hardly matters what he calls himself," Rose argued, she was beginning to feel uneasy standing there under the Doctor's scrutiny for so long with him clutching her hands so tightly. "Is this how the Time Lord's dance, I have to say, I've seen better." She attempted to add some levity to the situation.

He ignored her comment. "If ever he was a Captain, he's been defrocked."

It was then that Rose stumbled upon a realisation of her own. The Doctor's continuously snide comments were not a reflection of his inbuilt bullshit detector, he was jealous of Jack. Rose wasn't quite sure what he had to be jealous of but was keen to test her theory.

"Yeah? Shame I missed that." Rose watched the Doctor's eyes take on a steely glow at the implication of her enjoying the Captain's company in a less than PG fashion. Her heart started to hammer faster in her chest, she was sure that the Doctor could feel her elevated pulse in her wrists where his hands held her too tightly. The Doctor's mouth twisted into a displeased expression, still, he did not relinquish her hands.

"Actually, I quit. Nobody takes my frock" Interrupted Jack. She spun around, and the Doctor broke his iron-clad hold on her hands as well as her attention. Rose blinked in surprise, they were aboard Jack's ship it seemed. "Most people notice when they've been teleported. You guys are so sweet." He cooed. "Sorry about the delay. I had to take the nav-com offline to override the teleport security."

"It's fine." Rose blurted out, "Both of us were fine."

"You both sure looked fine." Jack grinned, his merry blue eyes glinted, "I'm almost sorry I interrupted."

"This is a Chula ship." The Doctor commented.

"Yeah," Jack let out an annoyed huff, tired of the Doctor finding ways to accuse him, "Just like that medical transporter. Only this one is dangerous.

The Doctor snapped his fingers and a golden glow enveloped his hands, he met Rose's gaze, "Nanogenes."

"They're what healed me up before." She nodded.

"Sub-atomic robots. There's millions of them in here, see?" He raised his left hand, "Burned my hand on the console when we landed. All better now. They activate when the bulk head's sealed. Check you out for damage, fix any physical flaws." He turned to Jack, deadly serious, "Take us to the crash site. I need to see your space junk."

"Sure, sure, just let me get the nav-com back online. Make yourselves at home." He smirked, "Feel free to carry on with whatever it was you were doing."

"We were talking about dancing." The Doctor insisted.

"It didn't look like talking." Jack challenged.

"It didn't feel like dancing," Rose added.

0o0o0o0

After recounting a sad tale of memory loss and sworn vengeance against the Time Agency, Jack lead them to the crash site of the Chula ambulance. The night air was cold, the kind of cold that left you breathless and exhausted. The surrounding barbed wire made for a very foreboding sight.

"There it is." Jack gestured grandly, "Hey, they've got Algy on duty. It must be important."

"We've got to get past him." The Doctor decided.

Rose pulled a face, "I don't feel like playing the distraction."

Jack patted her shoulder, "Don't worry, I've got this." Rose shot him a curious look, "I've got to know Algy quite well since I've been in town. Trust me, I make an enticing distraction. Don't wait up." He started to jog over to uniform-clad soldier, he wasn't so far away that Rose couldn't make out the waxy pallor of his skin under the dim lighting.

"Quite the flexible dancer you've picked up." The Doctor commented, "That's the fifty-first century for you, your lot have spread out across half the galaxy by that point."

"Dancer?"

"So many species, so little time." He smirked at her surprised expression.

"So, that's what we do when we get out there? That's our mission? We seek new life, and, and..."

"Dance." He finished.

"I suppose there are worse objectives."

Rose and the Doctor approached Jack and his companion cautiously, unsure if their presence had been sufficiently explained by Jack.

"Jack? Are you my mummy?" Rose froze at the eerie words that the poor man choked out. She saw Jack recoil as the soldier doubled over and retched, choking around something she couldn't see, the rough material of a mask forced its way through his flesh as his newly masked head hung limply.

Jack backed away and ordered the other nearby soldiers to stay away. He turned worried eyes to the Doctor, both of them now too familiar with the sight of those hollow creatures.

"The effect's become air-borne, accelerating." The Doctor theorised. The loud wail of a siren started up in the background, if they were trying to avoid detection then the nearby screeching wasn't a good way to go about it.

"We may already be infected," Rose whispered. Her hand went to her throat. She didn't want to imagine how it must feel to choke on those transplanted words of the child, to feel material and rubber join with flesh and to lose a grasp on her own mind. "Isn't a bomb supposed to fall here and destroy the ambulance?"

"It's too late for that, if the contaminant's airborne now, there's hours left." The Doctor answered, gloomily.

"For what?" Jack hesitantly looked around, noting that there were figures in the distance moving closer.

"Till nothing, forever. For the entire human race." His voice was bitter, a slight frown creased his forehead for a moment as he tilted his head to the side, "Can anyone else hear singing?"

They decided to split up and look for the source of the sound, there was a nearby warehouse, used to store weaponry and goods that had been converted into a set of rooms. Rose didn't like splitting up with the Doctor and Jack but it was only for a moment and it wasn't like the warehouse was that big anyway.

Rose entered a room at the end of the corridor, she could see was a desk, piled high with food rations. Rose warily edged further into the room and peered behind the desk. There sat a man in a dark blue suit, the blank face of a gas mask adorned his head grotesquely. Stepping back Rose headed for the door without hesitation, only to see it was now locked.

She clenched her hands into fists, her nails bit deeply into her palms. She tried the door handle again but it wouldn't budge. She didn't want to make too much noise getting it open in fear it would rouse the figure in the chair from its restful state.

"Not so funny when you're the one trapped on the wrong side of the door is it?" Asked a scathing voice. Rose turned to see a woman in a long green silk dress and a white feather boa, her hair was teased into an array of soft golden curls around her face.

Rose didn't know how she could have missed the women on her first sweep of the room. She was getting tired of people appearing and disappearing without warning. "Who are you?" Her throat caught when she noticed the device on the woman's arm, it was similar to the one her future self had worn in the church vestry.

"You ruined everything." The woman spat at her with such venom that Rose could almost feel it burn her.

"Look, I don't know who you are or what you think I've done but it's not safe in here." Rose tried to reason, keeping her voice low to avoid attracting the seated man's attention.

She gave Rose a sardonic smile, "That's rather the point. I didn't expect to find you here, not with how young you are." She waved a hand at her, "Gosh, I bet you think you're innocent in all this. Rose noticed she was also wearing long combat boots, an incongruous addition with her choice of outfit.

"Shut up." Rose snapped, she was surprised by the ferocity in her own voice. "I'm so sick of people telling me that there's something wrong with me when I've done nothing to them."

The woman narrowed her eyes, "Maybe you should listen to them."

"If I'm such a problem then what are you going to do about it." She injected as, much false bravado into her voice as she could. "I'm not here alone."

"Yes, the Doctor." A look of sadness crossed her face. She toyed with the ends of her curls before fixing Rose with a nasty glare, "You'll ruin him, make him into something he isn't." She pulled a large white gun out from the back of her boot, "I could kill you now, but you still have your uses yet." Then she pressed a button on the device on her arm, her body warped and twisted in the air before disappearing, leaving Rose locked in a room with a gas mask zombie.

 _Why does this always happen? Why is everyone out to get me specifically?_ She had spent so much time hated herself for some possible future offense, but what if they were all wrong? Her future self had said that the Doctor's crimes were numerous, maybe she had a legitimate reason to go after him.

She didn't want to think about it. It was much easier to compartmentalise all of her emotions and not think of the uncertain future. What mattered now was escaping the room the psycho blonde had trapped her in.

It appeared that she had been shoving at the door too loudly in an attempt to escape. The man stirred from his apparent slumber. Its stiff body straightened unnaturally as it headed for her in deliberate shambling steps.

"Mummy?" It asked her.

"No, no, no," Rose muttered. She refused to believe that this would be what killed her, the women in the green dressed had confirmed that this wasn't an attempt to kill her, in which case it was just meant to frighten her. If that was so then the woman must have believed she was capable of getting out of the situation.

She had now taken to standing at the opposite side of the desk of the man, when he shifted left on his side she mirrored him, climbing over the littered table seemed a bit too advanced for it, she noted to her own relief. It was like an insane parody of playing tag as a child, except the consequences of being tagged where much more severe.

Rose curled her hand around her watch, her good luck charm. The warm metal almost seemed to thrum like a heartbeat under her fingers. Her head was besieged by drums _da da day dum..._

The answer was clear. Rose tried her best to make eye contact with the man, meeting the hollow gaze of enlarged circular glass panels. "Stop." She whispered. The figure halted. At that moment she understood, this man was but a hand of a far greater being. A hand could easily be grabbed by another and redirected even if it belonged to the mind of another being.

Her breath came out shakily and her head throbbed in agony. "Open the door." Rose wasn't entirely convinced it would listen, maybe it's stopping was just a fluke. But the figure moved past her towards the door, it tried the handle but stopped when it met resistance. Her head felt so strange, like she was there but not there, her concentration felt stretched beyond its natural limits. "Again." She commanded, barely recognising her own voice. The man stared to throw his shoulder against the door in great heavy thuds, the door groaned and metal bent as the door was at last shoved open.

The figure stood off to the side of the door, its head bowed slightly as if awaiting another command, Rose moved past the doorway giving another look to the figure inside. All at once clarity returned to her, her mind didn't feel spread thin and the hungry pain in her head faded.

The soldier had opened the door. This much she was certain. Her mind started to become foggy when she tried to focus on the particulars No, she had to rememeber! She forced past her own inhibitions and denial, she remembered telling it to move, telling it to open the door, and it had.

She didn't know why it had listened to her.

The patients in the hospital had left the room at the Doctor's command, perhaps telling a single person to open a door wasn't too abstract a response to expect.

No. It was more than that. She kept looking for excuses to rationalise the strange things that happened around her. She had told it to act, and it had. That wasn't normal. It was with a welling sense of dread that Rose recalled what she had said to Adam and the oddly empty way he repeated her words, how his behaviour had changed.

 _Am I doing this? Am I making people act against their will?_

Had she always being able to do this?

Rose left the warehouse and found the Doctor pacing outside with Jack and a young woman. They were in front of the barbed wire fence talking amongst themselves, as Rose approached the Doctor's face softened.

"You took your time." His brusque comment didn't hide the undertone of worry in his voice. "Never mind, this is Nancy," He gestured to the girl. "Her brother's the one in charge of the gas mask people."

"It isn't his fault!" Nancy snapped. She pulled on her plaits agitatedly. More and more people in gas masks drew closer to the gates, "We need to get inside."

Entrusting the screwdriver to Rose, Jack split off to fortify the gate whiles he and Nancy began to reattach the barbed wire to keep people out. The Doctor returned to the centre of the bomb site to inspect the ambulance itself. It hadn't escaped Rose's notice as she held the screwdriver in her frozen fingers that the Doctor had given no directions on how to use the screwdriver, simply trusting that she could.

She worked silently with Nancy beside her, she was young and afraid. Rose hated to think how she would react if someone she cared about turned into one of those things. After making the repairs they joined the other two in front of the ambulance, it looked as though one of them had managed to open it.

"It's empty. Look at it." Jack gestured to the vessel.

The Doctor gave him a condescending look. "What do you expect in a Chula medical transporter? Bandages? Cough drops."

The image of Jack's own Chula shipped flashed through Rose's mind, "Nanogenes."

He nodded grimly. "It wasn't empty, Captain. There were enough nanogenes in there to rebuild a species."

Jack's face grew ashen in horror. "Oh, God."

The wail of the siren continued, it felt like it was boring a hole into Rose's skull, figures pressed against the wire, waiting.

"Getting it now, are we? When the ship crashes, the nanogenes escape." The Doctor clenched his hand into a fist, " Billions upon billions of them, ready to fix all the cuts and bruises in the whole world. But what they find first is a dead child, probably killed earlier that night, and wearing a gas mask."

"Why would it bring him back as that?" Nancy cried, "What kind of a twisted version of life is that?"

Doctor looked at her pityingly, "These nanogenes, they're not like the ones on Jack's ship. This lot have never seen a human being before. Don't know what a human being's supposed to look like. All they've got to go on is one little body, and there's not a lot left." He added, not trying to sound cruel, "But they carry right on. They do what they're programmed to do. They patch it up. Can't tell what's gas mask and what's skull, but they do their best." He fluttered his fingers, his voice adopting a faux-sweetness as if reciting a fairytale, "Then off they fly, off they go, work to be done. Because, you see, now they think they know what people should look like, and it's time to fix all the rest. And they won't ever stop. They won't ever, ever stop. The entire human race is going to be torn down and rebuilt in the form of one terrified child looking for its mother, and nothing in the world can stop it!"

"I didn't know." Jack gritted his teeth.

The patients beyond the wire began calling out once again, their voices were hauntingly innocent.

"The ship thinks it's under attack. It's calling up the troops. Standard protocol."The Doctor continued, unsympathetic of Jack's turmoil.

"They are all limbs of a whole, waiting upon the brain, their leader," Rose added, knowingly.

"The child's a fully equipped Chula warrior." He seemed surprised by his companion's assessment, "So much power, all in the hands of a hysterical four-year-old looking for his mummy."

Jack moved agitatedly, his hands searching for an item in his pocket as if preparing to fight his way out of the masses of patients surrounding them. "Why don't they attack?"

"Good little soldiers, waiting for their commander."

"The child?" Asked Jack, his hand faltered as if momentarily worried at the prospect of fighting a child.

"Jamie." Nancy corrected, sharply.

"What?" Jack turned his head to her distractedly.

"Not the child. Jamie." She repeated.

"Maybe we can reason with him." Rose offered.

Nancy nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, we don't have to fight. He's just a little boy I can't-"

"You said it yourself." The Doctor interrupted, "He's what's left of Jamie, there isn't enough of him there to reason with. All he has is the single minded-will to find his mummy, a will that will rip the world apart."

Nancy's face was red and her eyes watered with unshed tears, "This is my fault."

The Doctor responded immediately, "No."

"It is. It's all my fault."

"How can it be your..." He trailed off, he listened to the voices crying out mournfully, always asking. "Nancy, what age are you? Twenty? Twenty-one? Older than you look, yes?"

There was a faint whistling sound in the air and Jack kept casting nervous looks at the sky. "I can't...the bomb's going to be here any second."

"Then teleport us out," Rose demanded,

"I can't!" He gazed at Rose worriedly, "The nav-com's back online. Going to take too long to override the protocols."

"Just do what you have to do." The Doctor replied dismissively.

"I'm sorry Rose." He murmured before vanishing once again.

It was fine, Rose didn't need Jack. She had the Doctor, and if the Doctor turned out to be someone she couldn't trust in the end then she had herself and whatever freaky telepathic powers she had begun to manifest.

"How old were you five years ago? Fifteen? Sixteen?" The Doctor pressed on, giving no indication that Jack's desertion bothered him, "Old enough to give birth, anyway. He's not your brother, is he? A teenage single mother in 1941. So you hid. You lied. You even lied to him."

The bomb site door swung open with a grating screech, a small figure stepped forwards, dishevelled blonde hair stuck up from the top of the mask. They drew closer and closer. "Are you my mummy?"

"He's going to keep asking, Nancy. He's never going to stop."

"Mummy?"

Nancy started to sob, she hid her eyes behind her hands as if looking at Jamie was too painful for her.

"Tell him. Nancy, the future of the human race is in your hands. Trust me and tell him."

Nancy took a wobbly step forward toward her son. Rose didn't think she'd be able to take on the will of the driving force behind the gas-masked zombies herself but she was willing to give it a shot if the child came too close to her.

Rose's head thundered loudly, the blood in her ears drummed, _da da day dum_...she would burn his mind, set fire to it with horrors its tiny brain couldn't imagine. Rose roughly forced the horrifying imagery from her head. Of course, she wouldn't do that, this was still a child...she wouldn't even be able to do that if she tried... _right?_

Rose was thrown from her dark thoughts by the alarming image of Nancy embracing her child, murmuring over and over again, "I am your mummy." The child continued to ask the same question uncomprehendingly. "I am your mummy. I will always be your mummy. I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry." Nancy whispered into his hair. A cloud of Nanogenes surged around them, covering them in a golden haze.

"Come on, please. Come on, you clever little nanogenes." The Doctor begged, his face tense with anticipation, "Figure it out! The mother, she's the mother. It's got to be enough information. Figure it out."

"Do you think it will be enough?" Rose asked cautiously.

The Doctor turned to her, "Nancy has the superior DNA...if we're lucky...come on... Give me a day like this. Give me this one."

Nancy's arms gave out as she crumpled to the ground, Rose immediately feared the worst. With careful hope in his eyes the Doctor moved forward to Jamie, he grasped the straps of his gas mask and removed it. He discarded the mask and picked the child up with an elated smile and spun him around.

"Ha-ha! Welcome back! Twenty years till pop music - you're going to love it." He crowed.

"What happened?" Nancy wiped away her tears, beaming at her child. The Doctor placed them back onto the ground next to her, her hand immediately sought out Jamie's clutching it tightly.

"Your DNA was the parent DNA. They didn't change you because you changed them! Ha-ha! Mother knows best!"

There was still a nagging feeling that there was something wrong. Her alarmed eyes met the Doctor's joyful ones, "What about the bomb."

With a self-satisfied air, the Doctor glanced skywards, "All taken care of."

"Jack..." He hadn't abandoned them after all.

"Basic psychology." He responded.

The bomb began to hurtle towards them, its size grew as it became closer, merely a moment away from hitting them. It was caught in the same cerulean light that had captured Rose as she had fallen through the London night sky. Jack himself was perched astride the bomb in an exceedingly hazardous position. Rose wondered if he had thrown himself through the air at it, relying on is ship to save him.

"Doctor!" Jack hollered.

He gave Jack a grudging smile. "Good lad!"

"The bomb's already commenced detonation. I've put it in stasis but it won't last long." He warned.

"Change of plan. Don't need the bomb. Can you get rid of it, safely as you can?"

"Did you ask him to do this?" Rose asked in disapproval, frankly, a part of her was impressed that the Doctor managed to guilt-trip Jack into throwing himself onto a bomb in a stasis beam.

"It's alright Rose." Jack addressed her, "Got to clear up my own mess, right?" Rose wasn't sure how exactly Jack intended to deal with the bomb but going by his sorrowful expression it wasn't so pleasant. "Goodbye." He flickered out of existence for a moment before returning to her surprise. "Rose?" He asked, with a deadly serious expression.

"Yeah?"

"By the way, love the tee-shirt." He waved at her, wobbling unsteadily on top of the bomb and disappeared once more in a burst of light. The ship above sucked in the beam of light and flew away.

The Doctor snapped his fingers like he had back in Jack's ship. A golden haze surrounded his hands. Rose wondered whether the nanogenes were drawn to friction or if they had been programmed with awareness of human social cues, like the snapping of fingers indicates a plea for attention.

"Don't tell me you burnt your hands again." Rose puzzled.

He chuckled, "Oh no, this isn't for me. This is a software patch. I'm about to email the upgrade." His eyes fell upon the hoards of patients still awaiting a command that wouldn't come. "You want moves, Rose?" He asked mirthfully, "I'll give you moves." He threw his arms open, showering nanogenes ahead, they surged through the air reaching their targets. One by one members of the crowd started to remove their gas masks and looked around at their surroundings in bewilderment.

"Everybody lives, Rose." He told her in amazement, "Just this once, everybody lives!" He cried out.

In spite of her joy over their victory, and she suspected that the Doctor saw few victories as wondrous as this, Rose couldn't help but feel sick. Her back up plan had been to attempt to take over the mind of the child, to drive it him mad and incapable of fighting and by extension do the same to the rest of his army. In comparison to the victory before them, her method seemed disgusting, vile. The kind of thing a monster would come up with.

Rose didn't know where her supposed telepathic abilities came from, but she had the sinking feeling that the rest of the world would be far better off without them.

"And everybody lives, Rose! Everybody lives! I need more days like this." He threw his arms around her. Rose tried to stifle her surprise, she curled into the warmth of his jacket focusing on the security of his grip as if it could ward off the musings of her sick mind.

"What about Jack?" She managed to peel herself away. She was eager to focus on something less happy, given his last words it didn't seem like he was expecting to see them again.

0o0o0o0

Rose laughed lightly as the Doctor attempted to twirl her. She couldn't believe her ears when the Doctor had brought up the subject of dancing again, given that he was so disinclined to engage with the subject the last time it was mentioned. Moonlight Serenade was playing again. Rose personally felt that this was a spiteful jab at Jack by the Doctor, as if he was trying to erase her own experience with him by replacing Jack.

Jack peered through the door of the TARDIS incredulously. He looked back at is doomed ship as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Are you sure you know how to dance?" She teased him.

Now that Jack was stood in the TARDIS her previous worries while not nullified were somewhat diminished. The Doctor seemed inclined to leave Jack to the fate of being trapped in his ship with a bomb in failing stasis. It was by her own will that Jack was here now, alive and with them. Sure it wasn't on par with saving the human race from a progressive disease converting them into gas mask zombies but her own individual actions lead to saving a life. She took her victories where she could get them.

"I'm sure I used to know this stuff. Close the door, will you? Your ship's about to blow up. There's going to be a draught." The Doctor chastised Jack, who swiftly shut the door still in disbelief that he was still alive.

A part of Rose knew that the Doctor wouldn't be so petty as to leave Jack to die just because he disliked him. But, she liked to believe it was her insistence that convinced him, that she was responsible for saving someone. She was not a monster; she'd prove the psycho with the gun wrong.

"Welcome to the TARDIS." He drawled lazily, one of his hands was still laced with her own from his failed attempt to spin her around.

"Much bigger on the inside," Jack commented, delighted eyes roved the interior of the ship.

She felt the TARDIS give a warm pulse of affection in Jack's direction. The Doctor seemed disgruntled by his ship's silent acceptance of Jack. "You'd better be."

Rose pulled her hand away from the Doctor, "Since this one's hopeless do you want to dance?" She asked Jack.

"Rose!" The Doctor blurted her name loudly. "I've just remembered!"

She jumped in surprise at his eagerness as he flicked a switch in the control panel of the TARDIS. The music playing through the speakers switched to a more upbeat rhythm. "I can dance! I can dance!"

"Can you?" She asked sceptically. She watched him swing his hips and click his fingers with amusement. She gave Jack a helpless look, "With moves like those how can I resist?"

He smirked at her, "I'll wait my turn then." He even shot the Doctor a fond look, "I'm not sure which of you would be more fun to dance with."

Ignoring his blatant innuendo she returned to the Doctor, she startled slightly as one of his hands fell to her waist. He swooped her around the consol room jauntily. When he went to dip her, his arms cushioning her, heat flooded her chest unexpectedly. Dancing with Jack had been like drinking a fine wine. Dancing with the Doctor was ecstasy itself, running through her veins with every throb of her heart. It was safety with an undertone of danger, adventure.

And in that moment, Rose knew that in spite of her dubious future, having whatever this was with the Doctor, these feelings that made her blood surge and her mind race, that this was enough for her. 


End file.
